Miss Congeniality
by quillstrokes
Summary: Auror wanna-be Lily Evans expects a lot in life and in order to get what she wants, she must go undercover in the pureblood controlled Miss Witch Wonder Pageant. What she doesn't expect, is learning that maybe everything she wants is exactly the opposite of what she needs. XxxJily AU lightly based off the 1999 movie "Miss Congeniality"xxX
1. Introduction

_Helllooooo._

_I know it's been a while, but I had to regroup and step away from the internet for a bit. I've had some time off and now I'm back with just a fun AU with my favorite characters._

Summary_: _Auror wanna-be Lily Evans expects a lot in life and in order to get what she wants she must go undercover in the Miss Witch Wonder Pageant. What she doesn't expect is learning that maybe everything she wants, is the opposite of what she needs.

Disclaimer: I literally don't own the plot or the characters or anything. I just like writing and I guess this is all I could think about while I was watching the movie Miss Congeniality-only I changed some of it because I like twists and turns.

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**Chapter 1:**

**And it really doesn't matter**  
**So what? I've been hesitating so long**  
**Somebody turn on the light**  
**'Cause right now must be my time to shine**

"I'm sorry." He muttered, shuffling his feet.

"I'm _not_ interested." I frowned, leaning against the portrait hole.

"I'm sorry!" He brought his hands up, like he was praying to Merlin I'd forgive him.

"Save your breath." I snapped, blinking quickly in order to try and stem the tears, "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

It was true, Mary had come into the common room complaining that 'Lily your creepy friend is out there again' and I'd been forced to leave my post at the couch, giving it up to a first year that had been stalking my perfect spot by the fire since after dinner. My eyes glanced up and down noticing he had bags under his eyes and a worried expression on his face that momentarily broke my heart—we _had_ been best friends—but that was instantly subdued when he opened his mouth.

"I was." He admitted to sleeping outside my dorm, "I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just—"

I pushed myself off the portrait hole and let my voice raise an octave to express my anger, "Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends—you see, you don't even deny it!"

Severus pulled a face I'd seen all-to-many-times and I lost my control. How could the sweet, shy, kid who'd grown up with me, turn into the very person who made my insides shrivel in disgust? I tucked a strand of my red hair behind my ear as it was falling from the messy bun I'd thrown it into after classes.

"You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be!" I gestured at his dark robes, what all his new friends wore, "You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you? I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

I grabbed the handle to the portrait behind me. I was staring him down with my final answer to his pleas. I knew my blood status was something that separated me from others in this world—but I was still proud to be muggleborn and it scarred me each time someone blatantly made comment to my lack of magical heritage.

This boy, he was supposed to be my best friend and stick up for me but he'd used the slander against family in front of me and I could no longer pretend we hadn't grown apart.

"No—listen, I didn't mean—" Severus jumped forward to grab my arm and I resisted the urge to grab my wand from atop my head where in rested in my messy bun.

I snorted at his pathetic plea, "—to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus." His face darkened and I felt the one last piece of my heart turn cold, "Why should I be any different?" I hissed those last words and turned away from him, going back into the portrait hole.

His last few pleas were shut off by the closing of the portrait that led to our common area in Gryffindor Tower. I wiped two escaped tears from my eyes while I was still hidden in the darkened area of the portrait hole. I didn't want anyone to see me cry. The exact memory that started the fight with Sev swirled through my head.

_"I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!"_

I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't even dare, but it still hurt. It hurt like someone hit me with a hex. At this point, I wouldn't put it past Severus. Clearly, at this point, our friendship was beyond repair. I leaned against the wall and wrapped my arms around myself. I'd grown up with him, thought we were one in the same, working towards graduating from Hogwarts and making a difference in the world. Clearly, I was wrong.

"Hey Evans, you're uh, blocking the portrait."

Someone entered the alcove I was using as a hide away. I lifted my eyes only to see the messy black hair and feel prompt embarrassment at being caught by _him_ of all people. I hadn't really seen him since the incident either but he'd seemed apologetic and all he'd been doing was trying to make Sev apologize…

His particularly deep voice rang in my head, _"I'd NEVER call you a-you-know-what!"_

My expression faltered for a moment as I remembered, either way, he'd also been an instigator. He hated Severus Snape because Sev represented what we both hated—dark magic.

I stood up straighter and forced myself to put on a smile, "Oh, sorry," I quickly moved from the dark space, avoiding the hazel eyes I knew were staring at me, "I'll just—yeah."

I started walking away, feeling self-conscience as I knew he was still staring. I knew he liked me, Mary said she caught him staring often in class and Remus Lupin said that James just didn't know how to tell me.

"Hey!" James shouted after my retreating form, "You alright Evans?"

I waved that I was fine, even though I was lying. He probably did care that I was struggling with this. James Potter made it very clear that, although he came from a purist family, he was against everything Dark Wizards wanted. Even still, it's not like a pureblood like him could ever really understand what I was going through.

**~~~you just needed one friend~~~**

"Where are _you_ going?" James laughed as I sidestepped across the podium, "Everyone's headed to the carriages. If we don't leave now we'll never get a good seat."

I looked up and spotted James. My face instantly went bright red. "James."

"Lily." He teased me for my startled tone and then opened his arms wide, "Are you going to hug me and congratulate me on graduating or...?"

I couldn't help but smile at him, "I must say I had my doubts you'd ever make it," I answered, hugging him tightly, trying to think of how to tell him goodbye—possibly forever.

The end of our schooldays had just crept up out of nowhere and I could no longer avoid the inevitable.

"James, mate!" one of James' friends called, "The first set of carriages are leaving! I've saved you a seat so _let's go!_"

This was my only chance.

James looked down at me to see if I'd follow, like I'd normally done whenever he went anywhere. We'd become close in the past few years…months even. Everyone at Hogwarts thought we were secretly dating and I'm pretty sure even his best mates thought something was going on. The only thing was that there was _a wall_ between us that he _knew_ was there and-it was time to cut off our childhood dreams. I was too scared to say goodbye, that was the only problem. I put on a fake smile.

"I'll see you." I told him, halfheartedly.

"On the platform," he grinned, "I want you to—"

"_JamesI'mgoingtoAmerica._" I spoke quickly, holding his gaze so he couldn't see I was lying right through my teeth.

James loked confused, "Wait, what?"

"It's—I just am, alright?" I shuffled my feet and looked down at the stones they stood upon.

I actually had an interview with the head of the Auror department at the Ministry. I wasn't leaving the UK. It was just that I couldn't tell James, he always got moody when I mentioned the Ministry and he wanted to play Quidditch and not even talk politics when I was around. It was a touchy subject between us both because we were both so...similar...and different.

James was protective of me, almost as much as I was of him, and I knew he'd argue if he found out I was trying to be an Auror. He'd tell me that I had to be careful cause I was muggleborn-_oh he'd support me_-James was not unsupportive but I also knew James had other things to worry about besides what danger I was putting myself into...like his family. He'd said so himself only weeks before.

James was still silent. I could see the wheels cranking in his head. I had luckily caught him off guard and I knew this was my chance to get away without him arguing with me.

"I'm going to get my bags," I said, stepping away from his silent form, "I'll see you in the train?"

"Yeah." James was furrowing his eyebrows and his jaw was clenched, an action he always did whenever he was angry but trying to control his emotions.

I had to leave quickly or he'd start demanding more information. I knew that look on his face.

I smiled and leaned up on my tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek, "Bye, James."

And while I walked away...I held the tears by blinking rapidly and reminding myself that James had one less problem without me in his life.

**~~~here giving it my best shot~~~**

"Why do you think you have what is takes to work for this department?"

The man sitting across from me at the desk looked less than convinced as he sorted through my files. His name was Alastor Moody and he was Head of the Auror department. With hair like a lion mane, two intense eyes, and scars all over his body…he looked like a true dark wizard catcher. I pulled on a strand of my red hair nervously.

"Well," I repeated the words I'd gone over and over in my head since I'd landed the interview, "I want to change the world and as a muggleborn I have a passion for the current situation unfolding along the English countryside with dangers arising and I want to help put a stop to the inju—"

"Yes, yes," Moody waved his hand, " You want to do what very other person has walked in here saying they want to do…but what makes you _qualified_?"

I bit my lip, "Please, sir, respectfully, I think I have just as much passion as the other hundreds of witches and wizards that come in for this job but maybe even more than them. I'm good at potions and I excel in charms. You can see I got nearly O's in all my OWLs."

"Yes, you're infallible on paper Evans but can you hold up in the thick of things?" Moody asked across from me, slamming my portfolio on his desk.

I loved a challenge, so I raised my head and nodded, "Give me the chance and I will come through for you."

Moody got a hint of a smile and pushed at my portfolio, "I'll be in contact with you soon with an offer to go into the field with some of my best Aurors and if you aren't scared away, I'll see about getting you inducted into the Auror Academy."

It took Moody four months to find an assignment safe enough for a shadow. Even still I was ecstatic to see a exercise run in person, as I only read about them in books.

My eyes strained to see across the smoky lounge where three wizards sat in the dark corner muttering in a thickly construed language. The smoke was literally making my lungs scream in agony and the lounge was so well lit with fireplaces around the room that the air was stuffy and hard to swallow. Normally, I was known for my excellent eyesight but in the smoky haze it was hard to make out what exactly those wizards were doing. I was just here as an observer of a jewel bust.

Across from me sat a true Auror. His name was Frank Longbottom and he worked alongside his wife, Alice. They were becoming well known in the Auror world and I marveled just being in the same room as them.

The tip off had come from a curse breaker at Gringotts and evidently there was a cursed jewel from Egypt being traded in order to be used by Dark Wizards to use against unwilling purist wizards...wizards like James Potter who refused to go against muggleborns...

I saw a passing of a dark box, about the size of my palm. All the men scooted closer to each other and started whispering urgently. The two men doing the dealing wore dark purple robes and one of them had a tall matching hat. A short man with a cigar was obviously the man who wanted the cursed gem.

"A box. They're passing around a box." I stated, glancing at Frank who was pretending to search his bag for a piece of wad for his droobles gum.

"Money?" he murmured.

My eyes glanced back at the men, "The short one, he has money."

Frank nodded, not seeming to mind that I was trying to help.

Indeed the short and stout man was jingling money in front of the other two men. An illegal trade was definitely going on. Frank turned in his seat and sneezed, a signal to his other team members to get into place. Even as Frank stood up he commanded control of the situation as he waltzed casually over to the wizards.

Almost instantly the old fat man spotted Frank walking over and I saw his chubby hand reach inside is dark cloak. Only thinking of not letting Frank get hexed, I jumped up and pulled out my wand to match the pudgy mans actions. I had made a drastic mistake.

"Aurors!" the fat man shouted when he spotted me with my wand pointed at him.

All hell broke lose with the shouting of that singular word. I threw up a shield charm as spells began shooting around the lounge. About ninety percent of the people in the building were likely wanted for one reason for another and were racing from the premises. I kept my eyes trained on the jewel thieves.

The short stout man was currently stuffing his gold back into his pocket. Franks orders were clear enough, get the jewel away from the people who planned to use it. Of course, I'd accidently made the job 100 times harder.

The lilac clothed thieves had out their long spindly identical wands and were shooting stunners at Frank who was knocking each stunner away with ease. Around us, people were fleeing and the other members of our team slowly appeared into view.

Donald and Cora Applebalm were back to back shouting at each other as siblings normally did in stressful situations. Both of them looked like twins with long blond curly hair and pale skin, only their eyes detached them as duplicates. Alice had appeared behind Frank, her Auror training showing as she knocked out two goblins at once because they had been trying to jump in the way.

I continued sending my own stunners through my shield charm. Rapidly, all magic stopped. Dust swirled around us, mixed with cigar smoke. We were at a stand off and I saw the taller of the purple robed jewelers, holding the box tightly to his chest.

I licked my lips as sweat dripped down my brow. Behind us, Cora and her brother had their wands pointed at the lounge owners. Cora was sending me dirty looks and I hoped this hadn't ruined my chances at getting into the Auror Academy.

"What'cha see Frank?" Donald called.

"Nothing to see!" The tall man holding the small black box scowled, "Since when has the Ministry cared about black market trades, eh?" He glanced at me and I saw a tattoo of a snake wrapping around his thin neck. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Give us the box," I snapped.

"Mouth shut." Frank reminded me.

"This one is not a Auror." The fat man nodded in disgust at me, "she can't be but 5 years old, yeah?"

Fresh out of Hogwarts, I was the youngest in our little group. Not to mention I looked young, lacking a well defined shape in the clothes I'd worn today. While these wizards looked at Alice like she meant business, they only saw me as a adolescent playing Auror. It struck a nerve. Alice pointed her wand even straighter at the stout man, moving in front of me as if to protect me.

"You shut up." Alice threatened the man, shaking back her short russet hair as she sent a threatening crack of a lightning bolt at the short man, "I'll throw you lot in Azkaban on thievery charges and illegal cursed jewelry bartering..."

"The Ministry does not care." snake man sneered, "It's just like the last war and the Ministry does not have a clue what is going on."

The short man snickered and bent over to pick up a spare peanut off his plate, popping it into his mouth, still chuckling, "Hopefully this war produces actual results and kills all those disgusting mudbloo—" he was unable to finish speaking because the moment the term he used so carelessly escaped his mouth, I stunned him without even blinking.

In one instant I had stunned the man and in the next instant both the other suspects were aiming curses at Cora and Donald. I saw Donald drop to the floor just as I reached out, trying to grab the wand closest to me. It was the man with the snake tattoo. I pulled at the wand in his hand, breaking it in half, sparks showering the both of us as he reached for my neck. The sparks from his broken wand burned my arm as he clasped his long fingers around my neck.

Through my blurring eyes I saw Frank and Alice battling the man with the black box together. The box we need to secure that the man was loosely holding in his hand.

_Wait._

Why was he holding the box so loosely if he needed the jewel so badly?

That's when I saw the bulge in the sleeve that was attached to the hand currently choking me. I lifted my foot and stomped down on the left foot of the man holding me. My wand, on the floor by his feet, missed the impact of the man stepping forwards to slam me into the table, still choking me. I was gagging, reaching up with my hands to grab the man's shoulders. I pulled hard on his robes, trying to lift him onto my back. I succeeded and flipped us so I landed on top of him on the floor. He let go of my neck in surprise and with air rushing back into my lungs I began punching him with one hand while reaching for my escaped wand with the other.

My wand back in my palms I pointed it at the man and put a bubblehead charm around his entire skull, slowly shrinking it, giving him the same experience of choking as he'd done to me. His limbs wiggled around, hitting me, but I ignored that. His neck was expanding from the large breathes he had to take, making the snake on his neck enlarge and shrink, almost like it was lacking oxygen too. Then he passed out from lack of oxygen and I dropped the charm.

The other men were now under control, both taken over by Alice and Frank. I saw that Cora and Donald had disappeared which only meant one thing…Donald had dropped to the ground…Donald was hurt and Cora had taken him to the hospital.

I lifted myself off the snake tattoo man and opened up his robes so I could pull them off him. Inside the pocket of his sleeve was the little ruby, wrapped in a thick sheet. I passed it off to Alice who tucked it into her pocket before telling Frank to take all three men to the Ministry for trial. Frank didn't even glance my way as he left and I knew I was in trouble.

"Come with me, Evans." Alice demanded when she realized I was still standing around, shoulders slumped.

"Did you see what happened to Donald?" I muttered, wiping the dust off my wand with my dusty robes, "I shouldn't have moved!" I burst before Alice to answer, "I got him hurt! I shouldn't have stunned—"

"_Evans_." Alice grabbed my shoulders, shaking me a bit.

I looked at the Auror in her light pink traveling cloak, the nice type that I couldn't even afford if I took out all the funds in my account. Alice's grey eyes were covered in pretty eye shadow, probably to offset the short brown hair and round, boyish face. Alice smiled softly.

"It's over. It was wrong—you are one step ahead if you can admit that." Alice wiped my forehead with her hand, grimacing, "You get hit in the head with something?"

"He ran me into that table." I answered, touching my forehead and feeling it gluey with blood, "I'll heal it."

"Come on." Alice muttered, letting go of my shoulders, "We have to tell Moody what happened."

Alice, although tough, was a hell of a lot nicer than Frank was going to be when he replayed the story to Moody. Moody had trusted me to be able to control myself in the field. I remember he had even asked me in the interview if I'd be okay going around the witches and wizards who constantly berated and taunted my bloodline. It's why he mostly used non-muggleborns on missions. The purebloods and halfbloods working for Moody, well, they didn't get hex-happy when they heard the pureblood slang.

I did.


	2. Troublemaker

_ disclaimer in first chapter_

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**Chapter 2**

**She makes it look easy**  
**In control completely**  
**She'll get the best of you every single time**  
**Thought by now you'd realize you should**  
**Never underestimate a girl. **

Donald had been hit with some dark curse that had made obscure bruises appear on his chest. Cora said he was going to be fine, but she said it with as much blame in her voice as the rest of them. Moody didn't hear about it until Frank debriefed him, after which I was called into the Moody's office.

I had on my second best shirt, a flowery hand-me-down from my muggle sister when she moved out of my parents place. My sister Petunia had always tried to be fashion forward, the only thing that kept me in somewhat nice clothing—despite the fact that my parents never really could afford my sisters taste. Over the shirt, I wore my old cloak from school. My jeans had so many holes in them I felt self-conscience as I entered the same room as the man who now held my future on the line.

"Sir," I quickly spoke up, pausing when I saw in the mirror that my cloak was floating over to one side of my body. I readjusted before glancing back at Moody, "I want to talk—talk about the mission last night. I know I didn't exactly follow orders."

"You either follow orders or you don't Miss Evans," Moody motioned to the seat in front of the desk he sat at with papers surrounding him.

I winced at the harshness of his tone and sat down, "We got the ruby."

Moody nodded, "I am aware."

Silence.

I picked at my fingernails and then took a deep breath, "I understand if you don't want me on any field work."

Moody sighed, and I felt my heart sink at the disappointment in his tone when he spoke, "Frank's requested you to be put through another trial. He thinks you've got guts, girl." I wondered if I had somehow lucked out, "Sadly, all my teams are in the middle of important missions or have too many people working the case already."

"I—" I was unable to beg because just as I was about to be placed on anything, even paperwork, someone came barging through the closed door of the study.

"Moody, I hate you come barging in but another letter from the John Doe—we really can't piece together any...damn—"

I turned and saw Sirius Black, a fellow student when we'd gone to Hogwarts and...James' best mate. My stomach flipped and I wondered how Sirius was an Auror. I know being an Auror took years to accomplish. Moody cleared his throat as Sirius and I stared at each other, both in clear shock.

"Sirius?" I let his name escape my lips in wonder.

"Well, I'll be damned." Sirius put a hand on his hip and laughed as the door shut behind him, "Lily Evans?" he looked at Moody, "What's she in for?"

Moody's jaw twitched, "Do you know her Black?"

"She was—" he paused, seeming to think better of what he was saying, "Yeah. I know her."

Sirius looked exactly as he had during our years together at Hogwarts. Long and crimped black hair framed a gorgeous face that had made all the girls at school fawn over him. The Black family was known for beauty—but it was also known that the beauty was a compromise for insanity because most of the Blacks were unreasonable purist elites. The purists were the exact people I wanted to fight against.

I knew plenty of purebloods that had joined the cause of equality for muggleborns. The Longbottoms were purebloods but they treated me with respect. I knew for a fact that the Black family still actively played for the purist party in the upcoming war. Then again, Sirius hadn't exactly been a poster child for the purist elite. Looking at him now, I decided he hadn't changed one bit.

Sirius wore a leather jacket cut to the waist and his long hair was tied in a ponytail behind his neck. Sirius also wore dark red muggle slacks, something I was sure a real purist elite wouldn't be caught dead in.

Sirius spoke again, "Anyways, John Doe, his letters are not helpful. We can't figure out if they have a point."

"Are you and the boys still actively keeping up with the situation?" Moody inquired of the young warlock, wearing a bored expression as I examined Sirius' new tattoo on his hand.

"We've got Peter spying on every department in the Ministry and nothing has come up about a squib trying to bomb the shite out of London." Sirius spoke rather boldly, I thought, especially in front of me since I wasn't an Auror.

Moody huffed and then looked at me, and then raised a scruffy eyebrow. It was like he was considering me for something and I rose in my chair hopefully.

"Perhaps a fresh eye at the letters then?" Moody motioned to me in my seat, "Miss Evans is currently being examined for a possible position in the Auror department..."

Moody was being oddly cryptic and I saw Sirius stare at me a moment longer with a new expression, one of pure interest. Eventually, Sirius must've gotten what Moody was hinting at and chuckled deeply.

"Oh, that'd be _rich_, Moody." Sirius uttered gruffly with a wicked smirk.

"Well, Evans, show me you can work hard—Sirius works with a special top-secret unit." Moody said, "He can fill you in."

I didn't fancy the sparkle of mischief in Sirius Black's grey eyes as I was dismissed immediately from Moody's office. Where five minutes before, my position with the Ministry was in Limbo, now I was following one of my old schoolmates through the hallowed halls of the Ministry. We passed people but Sirius kept walking, not saying hello to them and I followed suit.

I mused over the fact that I was now working with Sirius Black. We'd been housemates at Hogwarts and he'd been known well in the girls' dormitory for numerous reasons. I knew him as James' best mate and troublemaker. I wondered what he offered that so so special that he was inducted into the Ministry.

"What special unit do you work in?" I asked him as we walked down a set of stairs and outside of the Ministry.

Sirius still walked tall, like he owned everything around him and I momentarily wondered what had happened to his other half, James Potter. The two had been thick as thieves and I never thought I'd see a day where one was without the other.

"How long have you been working at the Ministry?" I asked next of Sirius.

Two steps ahead of me, Sirius glanced back with a half grin, "probably just as long as you I'd wager. Right outta Hogwarts. Whatever happened to America, Evans?"

"I decided to stay." I answered offhandedly, "How's James liking Quidditch?"

"Didn't take to the professional playing too well." Sirius commented with a bit of slyness to his tone.

I wondered what that was about.

We walked into a building across the street from the Ministry. Sirius held the door open for me and I saw we were in a small area of offices. Some of the rooms were shut and I heard voices coming form them but Sirius led me down the long hallway, all the way towards the back of the building. I wondered if this place was where all the special unit wizards worked.

"What have you been working on in special unit?" I brushed at my blouse, feeling self-conscience as his eyes swept over my form with interest.

"Classified." But I saw a gleam in his eyes as he turned around to open the door at the end of the extensive hallway we'd been walking down.

Most of the building had a feeling of being less-than-cared for but as soon as I entered the room that Sirius was holding the door open too I felt, warm. The windows were open, letting in a cold breeze and I heard cars and people on the street below. Letters stacked towards the ceiling and I spotted pictures hanging on the otherwise bare walls. A single pillow and a crimson bedspread were on the ground but it was the bodies lying on the bedspread that made me pause in my steps. Sirius had a look on his face like Christmas had come early.

A bespectacled boy was first to speak without looking up, but even if he had looked up I knew I'd recognize the hazel eyes behind the square frames from ten paces away, "What'd Moody say Padfoot?"

I was struggling to form words, to get him to _look_ at me. I felt like it'd been ages since I'd said goodbye to him and I'd forgotten how much I missed him.

"Probably as much as before." A second voice chimed in, closer to me, also leaning over and inspecting papers, "I'm getting sick of seeing the same words over and over and over again." This voice belonged to a sickly looking boy with sandy hair that I hadn't expected to ever see again either.

The last boy on the floor had spotted me and he sat with an opened mouth that was unable to form words at the sight of me. He was a bit rounder than the others and more childlike. I knew all three faces well because they had often accompanied Sirius everywhere in the castle we all sued to call home. I just couldn't believe that out of all my classmates, Moody had picked and put these four boys in his special unit force.

I think my mouth was as wide at the pudgy Peter Pettigrew.

"What?" I turned to look at Sirius in surprise, "You all are in the Auror Force? How?"

Sirius smirked and shrugged as the other two heads looked up in disbelief at a second voice they didn't anticipate. The first one I'd spotted, Remus, was the boy with sandy hair. He looked flabbergasted but he quickly stood up, dusted his hands off on his old grey robes before reaching to hug me.

"Lily!" he spoke into my ear with elation, he pulled back and tried to look me in the eyes.

I didn't close my eyes as he hugged me because I had caught the eye of the last man in the room. When Remus pulled back I still had all eyes for the man now standing up, wiping his glasses on his old shirt like he didn't believe the lenses.

"James." I said, pleasure seeping through every inch of my being, feeling the smile spread across my face as his glasses were placed on his face and he realized he wasn't dreaming. He opened up his arms, grinning like a maniac.

Remus moved and I ran into the waiting arms of James Potter. Warm, welcoming, and wonderful. I never thought I'd see James, ever, ever again. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent, old but so familiar from spending so much time at his side at Hogwarts.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered into my ear, pulling back so he could get a good look at me, "You said at graduation you were going to America…"

I chortled nervously, "Yeah..."

James didn't seem as thrilled at that answer but he hugged me one last time anyways before Sirius waltzed in between our welcoming party looking around at the pile of papers I was now standing over with James at my side, running his fingers through his hair like he always did when he was shocked.

"Moody said that Lily here is going out for the Aurors, so she's going to help us with this mess." Sirius gestured around us at the piles of parchment, "I suggest she start by seeing the original letters."

James was frozen as Sirius had just said what I'd really been up too. Remus stepped around James staring at me and went to a small table by the window, picking up a pile of papers. I pushed up my hair back into a familiar ponytail, ready to work. As Remus passed me the papers, for a moment I felt like we were at Hogwarts again. It felt like there were no politics and no rules. I smiled at James who was still staring at me with an unreadable exspression.

Remus pointed to the papers, demanding my focus, "So the Department of Magical Sports and Events has been getting these letters for some time…Moody brought to us because he thinks they all fit together for some sort of code."

"And our specialty is breaking codes." Sirius said with a haughty grin.

I flipped through the pages. I noted they were all from what appeared to be one person that used the same sloppy cursive and green ink. I settled down to the floor, followed by all for boys.

"Each letter uses a content-based pattern...similar to his earlier letters but the only problem is that we don't get his hints until after he hits his target." Peter explains from my other side, poking at underlined words in each of the letters.

"This." Sirius slams a fresher piece of parchment into my hand, "is his most recent letter and we can't figure it out."

"I thought your speciality was breaking codes?" I teased Sirius who sent me a wicked grin again.

"Oh Evans," he said, "How I missed your wit."

With another smile, I glanced over the parchment. The boys had underlined different words. It seemed like they focused on all the words used in previous letters. I remember when I was younger, my father used to do similar things with the crossword in the newspaper.

Apparent trigger words seemed to be underlined twice. I cringed when I saw a few derogatory terms underlined more than twice.

_"It's always the word you looked over twice."_ My father used to tell me as he double-checked his extra list of words, _"It's designed to make you overthink."_

The boys were focused on the abusive words, the threatening terms. All of those words shouted out of the letters and then left out the simple words. In one letter it was _Jones_ that was marked with a star and in another letter the word _smile_ was written with a similar star overtop.

"What do the stars symbolize?" I muttered as I flipped back to the newest letter, it didn't have any stars.

"It's the hints the John Doe would give. _Jones_ was the name of the second girl he murdered…_smile_ was referring to his next target who happened to be a photographer for the Daily Prophet." James explained, "We didn't get the hints until after."

"And now this letter…"

I let my fingers surpass the word muggleborn. My thumb skimmed over the comparisons to filth that left shivers in my spine. The boys were silently musing to themselves about the letter I now held in my hands. They reminded me I didn't have to just stare at the paper but I ignored them. I _had_ to figure this out. I had to prove that I could be a good Auror. I had to get Moody to let me into the Auror Academy—that's all that I was good at.

Eventually Peter excused himself, then Remus, and then Sirius and James had to leave to go get food.

"Need anything while we're out Evans?" Sirius offered, waking me from my daze as I glanced over the letter. I waved him away and I heard Sirius mutter to James, "Merlin, she hasn't changed has she?"

I momentarily lost interest in the letters at Sirius' exclamation and the closing of the door to the room. Without all four boys surrounding me I was able to drop my shoulders and actually look around without fear of catching any eyes.

I was happy to see them, I was, but the shock of seeing them...working for the Ministry no less shocked me. James himself had been so against the Ministry. What had changed since I last said goodbye to him?

What did Sirius mean when he told James that I hadn't changed?

Was he talking about how I was a work-a-holic? I'd often been teased at Hogwarts for my certain passion for making sure everything would work out impeccably. Before the whispers of war, I'd had my life planned out to the last second. I was going to marry a muggle. I was going to raise half blood children and teach them everything I knew about magic. I was going to work in the Ministry as an Auror or a Potions Brewer.

I couldn't help but laugh at my first year delusions now, as I sat on a bedspread on the floor of an office building trying to decipher a letter from an estranged unknown man. I crossed my legs and started filtering through the pages again, trying to figure out the match—the place he was going to strike next.

I marked the word _miss_, in the first sentence. I continued reading and saw the boys had underlined _world_ in the second sentence. In the third sentence there were no underlines.

"No witch or wizard shall be hurt, just mud—" I struggled at the last word, the word the boys must've figured was important. I underlined _witch or wizard_ before moving onto the next line.

I don't know how long I sat on the floor but soon, Sirius was back and he was alone this time.

"Oi!" he mouthed off loudly, "Evans! You've barely moved an inch and it's been three hours! Merlin, go get food before you rot away in here."

"I think I've got something." I waved him away without looking up.

"Doubtful." Sirius replied, "I'm off to the pub to get a drink and _you_ are joining me."

I looked up to see he was completely serious. I rose an eyebrow at him and clucked my tongue, "I'd love to but Moody obviously wants you to figure this out and—"

Sirius groaned and put fingers to his forehead, "Lily, _stop_. The boys and I have it covered, now get your pretty self up off the floor and come with me." He held out an expectant hand.

I didn't take it and Sirius sighed, "I didn't want to have to use blackmail against you Evans but I hear you could use a whiskey or two after what happened with your shadowing with the Aurors."

I flushed, "How'd you find out?" I was defensive.

Sirius grinned like the absolute dog he was; "James used his good looks and charm to get the story off Alice Longbottom." Sirius made a pitifully playful face, "you know all about my mate Potter, and his charm."

I felt a flare of heat at the fact that Alice had told anyone anything about yesterday. I dropped the letter to the floor and stood up earning a whoop from Sirius. I did need a drink now that I knew James had heard about why exactly I was trying to get Moody's favor. James probably thought I was still the stupid girl I'd been back at Hogwarts who couldn't control her temper and bad judgment. The same muggleborn who just couldn't take criticizing lying down.

Sirius showed me out of the office with a smile on his long face; like he was excited we were going out together. I pulled off my cloak, feeling odd as we walked down the muggle London streets. Sirius was dressed more muggle than I was—and he was the pureblood.

Sirius guided me up and down boulevards until we reached a brightly lit pub with loud sounds of laughter and chatter coming from inside. A chalkboard sign outside called the pub "The Shack" and brightly colored star shaped lights lit up the windows.

Sirius grabbed my elbow, pulling me inside, "It's a muggle pub so there's no chance of me running into my family." He explained as we took a seat at the bar.

I sat on top of my cloak and glanced at Sirius who was watching a few girls at the other end of the bar smoking and hooting.

"Avoiding your family?" I nudged him, "or pursuing those girls?"

At my bantering, Sirius grinned and ruffled my ponytail playfully, "I think," he said turning to the bar, "We need a drink!"

Sirius prompted the man serving to get us two extra strong White Russians and we sat together watching people come in and out of the pub. It was strange to find myself back in the muggle world drinking with a man I never thought I'd see again. Sirius was silent as well, observing an older couple have a drink by the window.

"So how'd your end up in a Special Unit?" I asked him, trying to make conversation.

Sirius put a hand on his knee and looked sideways at me. His grey eyes were softer than they'd been in school and I also noticed his smiled a lot more. He looked good and for some reason, I was happy to see Sirius at a good point in his life. Sirius licked his lips after taking one more sip of his drink.

"Moody came to me after I got attacked by my own brother in Hogsmede," Sirius explained, at my look of confusion he explained further, stirring his drink with his finger, "I went to Hogsmede and Reg took it upon himself to try and—convince me to join the Death Eaters."

I looked at his hands, now tightly wrapped around his cup as he remembered what had obviously been emotionally taxing to him. I placed a hand on his shoulder in expression of my apology.

"I had no idea your brother—" I put my glass on the bar top and felt suddenly sick, "and here I thought my sister was horrible to me."

I recalled the day my sister told me to take my stuff and leave her and her family alone. My sister never had approved of my magic. My entire family had been muggles and I'd been the special one—the only one with magic in my blood. My parents saw it as unique but my sister saw it at freakish. We'd been best friends as kids but now my sister didn't even send Christmas cards.

Sirius seemed to not want to discuss it any farther, "Anyways, I managed to stun my brother and escape but James made me go to the Hospital Wing and when old man Dumbledore heard he offered to get me a job and here I am!"

I was still stuck on Sirius' brother attacking him. I fingered the edges of my blouse, which had once belonged to my sister. I don't know how I would be as well put together as Sirius if my sibling had outright attacked me. Sirius seemed to notice my discomfort and grabbed my drink, shoving it back into my hands.

"Hey," he spoke gruffly, "It's cool, Evans don't go all girl on me. It wasn't like I wasn't expecting it—I'm not exactly welcomed with open arms back home."

"Yeah," I muttered, "Neither was I."

Sirius appeared puzzled at my answer and I took a sip of my drink to avoid looking him in the eyes. Sirius bought another drink. I finished mine slowly, now looking at a newspaper on the counter. The muggles were reporting on stock increases.

"So what about you?" Sirius asked after he'd drowned himself in a second drink, "how did a muggleborn end up trying to get into the Auror force after telling my best mate she was going to America?" he snorted, "I'm assuming you lied?"

"Well when you put it that way…" I murmured, rolling my eyes.

Sirius chuckled, "What I mean is, James was devastated when you told him…what actually happened?"

I shrugged, "I lied."

When everyone was making plans for after graduation, I was figuring out how to hide the fact that I was going to join the Aurors. Rumors of the Ministry being infiltrated by dark wizards had made me wary but I wanted to be an Auror desperately. Muggleborns like myself were disappearing and, knowing his worry over me, I didn't want to tell James.

So when people started asking me my plans, I told them I was moving to America…I still remember telling James. He had looked so sad that I was leaving but he wished me luck—and besides he had told me he was joining a quidditch league in Wales…I lifted my eyebrows.

James had to have lied to me as well.

"He said he was going to play professional quidditch." I murmered, the knowledge making me grab Sirius' arm, "James lied to me too?"

Sirius shook his head with another swing of his drink, "No, James joined the team after school and he was playing quidditch but he decided to—make some changes."

"Oh."

I brushed some imaginary dust off my shirt, unsure of what to say next. Instead, Sirius put his drink on the table and stretched, earning a few glances from the woman around us. A few of the girls eyed me, probably wondering why the frumpy redhead was with him. If only they knew I was in love with his best mate.

I stood up and paid for both our drinks earning a look from Sirius, which clearly meant he hadn't expected me to pay. After he told me that story about his brother, I felt compelled to do something nice for him.

Sirius slung an arm around me as we walked out, an action that was all too familiar with Sirius Black. I side glanced up at him with a half smile, remembering hanging out with him and James sometimes before we all had Transfiguration together. Some of my fondest memories of the boys were in those little moments before classes. I remembered also, the painful memories of James and him getting harassed by the other purists for hanging out with me.

James had gotten it even more than Sirius and I tried to not let it bother me…but things like that stuck to my memory as a constant reminder of the constant wall between James and I.

We walked back to the office, Sirius talking about anything and everything. He was smoking and the scent was relaxing, as it reminded me of my father. My mind had wandered back to the letters Sirius and his mates had been trying to decipher. I'd found three words that didn't make any sense but still followed the pattern.

_Miss._

_Witch._

_Wizard._

That made no sense to me as we walked back to the office. Coming upon the office at night was nice, as the street lamps effectively lit the street but allowed Sirius and I to keep to the shadows. The office appeared in front of us quickly despite the long walk and we climbed the front steps of the stoop. At the floor was a newspaper that I picked up, always interested to what The Daily Prophet had to say.

I flipped it open to see that it was the entertainment section and a huge headliner made me pause in the doorway of the house. Sirius pushed at me.

"Come on Evans, we have to get back to work."

I held up my hand as I read the headline:

**MISS WITCH WONDER PAGENT ALLOWING ENTRANCE OF MUGGLEBORNS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOLORSHIP PROGRAM.**

"_Miss, Witch_…" I mouthed, "Those were two of the words I found in that letter and _wonder_ was—oh my god."

Sirius leaned over my shoulder and looked at the paper, which had the picture of an older witch staring at us with a fake smile. Her white hair was fashioned below a witch's hat, allowing for the camera to focus on her plastic looking face. She also looked less than pleased at the news that the headline bore but she still held her head high and proud.

"You don't think the letter writer is targeting the Miss Witch Wonder contest?" Sirius' voice resonated in disbelief.

"Yes. The word _wonder_ was included in that last letter. We have to tell Moody." I grabbed Sirius' hand, "Immediately."

* * *

So...intrigued? Let me know, reviews are cookies and all that jazz...

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	3. The Proposition

**Chapter 3**

**Where is reality and what are the actions that will define who I am?**  
**I am holding on to the visions I've seen of what I could be**  
**It's what I should be**

"What could possibly motive anyone to do a pageant?" I asked as I checked the letters again to make sure all the answers pointed to the pageant.

No matter how many ways I looked at it—all the words were pointing at the pageant. This was a fact none of us were willing to accept. According to the boys it was the biggest public event he'd ever hinted towards but as we started digging deeper—each death was linked back to the Miss Witch Wonder Pageant.

Now, waiting for Moody to confirm that we needed to intervene, the boys were looking at pictures in the newspaper of all the competitors in the Miss Witch Wonder competition this year.

"Hey, Miss Hogwarts is a Ravenclaw." Peter spoke up, "Did anyone know her?"

"I knew her well enough." Sirius grinned with a wink at James who returned the grin, "Right Prongs?"

I flipped the letters around loudly, releasing some of agitation with Sirius. My face flamed at James' obvious taste for whoever Miss Hogwarts was. I hadn't known her at Hogwarts but James and Sirius must've. I decided to divert my attention from being jealous over a girl I didn't even know, to how that girl got her position.

"How does Miss Hogwarts get picked?" I asked, "It's not like we have pageants at Hogwarts."

"They get picked by the school governors to represent Hogwarts." Remus explained, "I think you have to apply in your fifth year and then prove you're a worthy contestant through your OWL scores and extracurricular activities."

I glanced over at the long list of girls and saw their credentials were under their pictures. _Quidditch players. Animal activists. Pureblood social butterflies._ I remember how Moody had told me all my Auror credentials were perfect on paper—on paper these girls were the perfect Beauty Queens. All the girls in the pictures wore lengthy evening dress robes and had on so much makeup, all over their bodies, I wondered how much time they spent in front of a mirror. Sirius was taking to marking the prettiest ones with his quill and James was chiming in his opinions over Sirius' shoulder.

"So why would this guy be targeting a pageant?" Peter asked, as he ate an apple he'd pocketed from a stand on the street.

"It's a pureblood competition. Witches compete from every school around the world and it _used_ to be only witches with reputable backgrounds." James fell into a chair beside me, "but this year they allowed muggleborns. Maybe that pissed him off?"

I chimed in, "What I want to know is the actual _benefit_ of winning this competition."

"It's a scholarship program." Remus explained, "The witch who wins gets a hefty prize package for the school she's representing."

"And typically a rich husband to boot." James noted.

"So, it's about money." I affirmed, still indifferent towards the idea of a beauty competition.

"And a chance to get away from their mad families," Sirius said, "If you win you go on a tour of all the schools, talk to orphans—you know. Inspirational shit like that."

I frowned, "So why can't these witches join the Ministry's travel department…honestly it's like feminism didn't even happen. Any woman who enters this thing willingly is giving into the misogynistic—"

"James, shut her up for me will you?" Sirius pleaded of James who simply smirked, "I'm trying to pick out my potential bride and don't need Evans spreading her negativity all over the room."

"Can you really be this superficial?" I glowered at him as he pointed to a photo of a young girl in a low cut dress, waving from her spot on a brightly lit stage.

"Hard to believe right?" Remus chortled from across the table, "He was always _so_ mature at Hogwarts."

Sirius scoffed, "My family could try to murder me any day now—I don't deserve to be deprived of beautiful things." He held up the pictures of the beauty queens in defense.

"Just check their bloodlines mate." James encouraged to Sirius who in turn smirked at James.

"That's true." Sirius considered, "I'd wager I'm related to half these girls."

I rolled my eyes at the madness happening in the room and I prayed Moody would appear very soon.

"Some things never change." I commented dryly, brushing my shoulder against James who glanced at me with a smirk, "Your tastes in woman, especially." I got up to go sit next to Remus who was now the only sensible person in the room.

"My taste in woman isn't _exactly_ the same," James debated.

"Yeah right." Sirius snorted and I saw him send a very pointed look in my direction.

James shrugged and made an uncertain hand gesture in my direction that made Sirius bark with laughter. I sent James a scowl but couldn't hold it when he winked my way. I bent my head as I sat beside Remus in silence. James' taste in women certainly hadn't changed.

"You're trying to tell me this man is out to destroy a competition where witches prance around a bloody stage?" Moody was flipping through all the evidence, James at his side.

I sat in the back corner of the room now, or rather leaned, as there was no seat where I had positioned myself when Moody came in demanding the evidence.

Sirius made a less than rapt look at Remus who returned the favor by looking unsurprised. James meanwhile, was pouring over the letters and the newspaper, trying to find a flaw in what I had figured out. Moody was stroking his chin, deep in thought.

I sat basically forgotten in the corner of the room, as this wasn't even my case. I'd been assigned to figure out the letters and since I did that, it appeared I was once again no longer needed. Moody said nothing about the Auror Academy when James told him I had figured it out. In fact, Moody hadn't even glanced my direction causing me to cross my arms and quickly become exasperated.

Unable to find a doubtful flaw in my findings of the letters, Moody took a deep breath. He looked like this was the last thing he needed to hear.

"We have to get someone inside." Moody declared.

Sirius cleared his throat and raised his tattooed hand, "I volunteer to go undercover for the sake of all mankind."

"Shut up you dunce." Moody snapped at Sirius.

James cleared his throat, "Preliminaries, conferences, and the live radiocast with journalists and Ministry officials." James looked apprehensive; "It's a _nightmare_ if it's anything like professional quidditch matches."

"The competition starts in 48 hours, and we don't even know what this guy plans on doing…" Moody reasoned with James, "Where do you propose to start? You've been following this bastard since day one."

"He loves to make it very public, whoever this guy is." Peter spoke up, "James thinks he's a squib though because he always resorts to muggle tactics to murder his victims."

James nodded in agreement with Peter but he was clearly pondering over the idea that they now had a lead on the very man they'd been chasing in letters and words for a while now. The boys were silent and staring at each other with disorganized expressions. Clearly, they'd never gotten this far on this case. I cleared my throat and came to stand by the table.

"You might want to call the network and pageant people. Set up a meeting with whoever directly organizes the girls. You're going to need to have their full cooperation." I offered my reflections, pushing back loose strands of my hair that were in my face.

"And what about the Ministry?" Remus asked gently, the question directed at Moody.

I wondered what Remus meant…they _were_ the Ministry…

Moody looked like he'd rather not discuss whatever Remus was implying and sighed, "I can't put one of my Aurors in right now and this guy probably has alliances in the Ministry that would tell him if I put Aurors undercover even if I tried. We're going to need surveillance everywhere, press conferences, the shows…just like Mr. Potter detailed."

Remus looked stumped, "Only competitors are allowed everywhere in that competition."

James ruffled his hair, staring at the newspaper clippings of all the girls, "We need to get someone on the inside. A girl who can compete."

Sirius beamed and clapped his hands together, "An undercover bird? I know just the lady."

Everyone looked at Sirius, doubtful. Remus muttered something about getting to enjoy whatever was coming out of Sirius' mouth next and James must've heard Remus cause he pushed his fingers into his hair again, pulling at the roots. He did that whenever he was stressed and it made me smile. Moody crossed his arms skeptically; I was also interested at Sirius' perfect 'bird'. The girl they picked had to be pretty and smart enough to enter a beauty pageant that was run by the purist elite.

"Karlie McKinnon."

I snickered immediately at the name and everyone looked at me.

"What?" Sirius beseeched of my laugh, "She's flawless! And a pureblood!"

"She's married and pregnant." I smirked as Sirius' face fell.

"She married?" Sirius looked put out that his ideal girl hadn't worked.

Sirius fell into an empty seat and obviously started the try and think of another girl we went to school with that worked for them. I personally didn't know any of my mates that were working at the Ministry. A lot of them were starting families or working on internships.

"Do we have any other field agents that are pureblood or halfblood?" James muttered to Peter who shook his head.

"But the newspaper said they were allowing muggleborns to enter this year." Peter reminded him, "We could send any recent Hogwarts graduate in that works in the field—the hardest part will be getting rid of the Ravenclaw the governors picked."

"You are not jeopardizing any fresh Hogwarts graduate with no experience unless I approve them first." Moody snapped, "And how do you propose getting the current Hogwarts competitor to drop out?"

This was a problem that had to be addressed. I frowned at Sirius and then stopped when I saw the way he was looking at me. I felt hesitant at the epiphany happening on his face.

"Wait." Sirius held up a hand, "James can get the current one to drop out and I know the perfect girl to take her place."

We all stared at Sirius. Sirius however, had all eyes for me and was ogling at me like he'd had a vision. I squinted at Sirius with perplexity; Sirius was looking at me with a bizarre look of delight. I looked back at Sirius with apprehension.

"_What_?" I asked, feeling insecure from his staring.

"_You_." He revealed, standing up and coming towards me.

"Me?!"

James hissed, "Padfoot, don't even suggest—."

"Hold on," Remus stood up too, staring at me with the same look as Sirius, "That's _not_ a terrible idea."

My mouth was open in shock at all of the boys; I could feel my head shaking wildly.

"What do you say?" Peter asked from his spot beside Moody.

"No! Agrippa, no!" I almost choked because I was so dazed, "you're all mad! I've never even thought about-"

"Lily shouldn't compete," James spoke up, always the voice of reason, "She'd be picked apart right away by those girls because of her blood status and I'm not going to let—I mean—I." James tumbled over his words, looking desperately at Moody for help.

James' comment about my blood status hurt but I also knew he was accurate. This pageant was a purist competition that was being attacked. That was a slight problem, and the fact that they were letting muggleborns compete for the first time ever. The purebloods in the competition probably wouldn't be very good receptors to yet another muggleborn in their world…

I cleared my throat, "I've never been in a beauty pageant. I don't even _own_ a nice dress."

"Am I supposed to be surprised?" Sirius grinned, before screeching "_ow_!" when James decked him in the back of the head.

"I think this could work," Moody reckoned. I looked at Moody, "Do you want to be an Auror, Miss Evans?"

"Of course." I blushed slightly but held Moody's harsh gaze, "more than anything, you said if I showed-"

Moody nodded, pointing to the pageant papers, "We have to get someone on the inside—and if Frank was willing to give you another go. This is it, Evans. Show me you can work well in a team setting with these boys and you have a spot in the Auror Academy."

All four boys exchanged a look that I couldn't read.

"Can he do that?" Peter asked Remus who shrugged.

I smiled for the first time, that second chance glittering like a beacon of hope in my mind. James looked positively beside himself when I glanced over to see his reaction. I worried he would argue—but it was as if seeing me get excited at the opportunity changed his tactics.

"Listen to me, all of you," Sirius stood up and put his fist on the table looking determined, "If we're doing this…we're get the pageant people to agree to fix the drawings and keep Lily in the top ten so that we won't even have to worry about her—we can focus on catching our criminal."

There were buzzes of agreement around the room. James looked satisfied and glanced at me with a soft smile. Everyone was silent and I pushed strands of hair back into the braid they had fallen from. I leaned against the table and imagined how all this would turn out. I closed my eyes and breathed out, trying to place myself in the world where this conversation was heading.

It was hard to imagine acting like a princess when I had grown up modest. My entire life I'd had hand-me-downs from Petunia, my sister. The only thing close to princess-like in my life had been living in a castle for school. Even living in that castle constantly brought problems into my life that I had trouble dealing it. Problems that were at the core of this entire mission.

"Let's suspend reality for a moment and say I do agree to this plan…I have to do everything like the dresses and dance numbers and bathing outfits?" I opened my eyes and saw all the men staring at me keenly.

Remus was first to voice the heavy weight on my chest, "I'm not sure about this either—this entire case _is_ about blood status."

I knew where Remus was coming from seeing as it was apparent that blood status was my weakness…but it was also my strength. Maybe, just maybe, I could convince these primadonna purebloods that muggleborns were just as capable as any other witch or wizard. Sirius was giving me thumbs up. James was staring at a fixed point on the table. Remus, Peter, and Moody were all waiting for my answer.

"Okay." I spoke up with a firm tone and a half smile, "I'll do it."

The boys applauded me and James clapped me on the shoulder but didn't look me in the eyes. I sighed deeply as Moody planned out the next few steps with James and Sirius in undertones. It was hard to catch what they were saying because I was focused on how I was going to do this mission. Remus leaned back against the door beside me.

"Remus." I inquired.

"What?" he whispered back, looking at me through the overgrown bangs lying in front of his kind eyes.

"Where am I gonna put my wand in the swimsuit competition?"

"Nowhere I want to know." He snickered, nudging me with his shoulder as we watched the plans fall into place.

**~~~I can do anything~~~**

"Therefore, we'd like to use one of our team undercover."

The pageant people were under the impression that I was an actual Auror. It was the farthest from the truth but we had to find some way to make me a little credible so the pageant hosts would allow the Ministry to plant a spy in their parade of witches. It was Moody's job to keep the rest of the Ministry from finding out I was posing as an Auror, posing as a Beauty Queen, posing as a Contestant. The entire operation itself was confusing. For some reason, Moody had been quick to tell me this was top secret, not even the Aurors staffing the event would know the Ministry had someone undercover.

Beside me, James shifted uncomfortably in a giant armchair. On my other side, Peter was holding the evidence that the Miss Witch Wonder pageant really was under attack. Remus and Sirius had orders from Moody to work in the background and were waiting in a café not far from the office where we officially met Madame Princeton.

"Am I hearing this correctly?" A grandeur dressed man spoke up.

Besides Madame Princeton, who ran the entire pageant since she won about 25 years prior, we were also dealing with Stanley Yucco, the pageant host. He looked about as thrilled at our request as Madame Princeton herself who had not un-pursed her lips from the moment we requested the secret meeting. She reminded me a bit of my sister in fact, which increased my dislike for the older woman.

"These people want to put one of their _Aurors_ in the pageant." Yucco looked aghast at the suggestion.

Madame Princeton finally spoke, "They want her to win?" her beady eyes were dark.

"_No._"

We all said this disturbingly fast. James sent Peter and I a glare as a reminder to let him do the talking. I glanced behind me to see Moody staring down James, watching him like James was the one trying to become an Auror and not me. I still had no idea if the four boys were considered Aurors—or a top-secret task force. I was leaning towards the last option because James wasn't even wearing Auror robes.

"We will need your help with the judging so our Auror is in the Top Ten so she has access to all areas at all times." James illuminated, "It is the only way to—"

Madame Princeton regarded James like he suggested entering dragons into the competition, "Absolutely not." Princeton stated.

I spoke up to try and pacify her, "Ma'am we understand how important this beauty pageant—"

Madame Princeton looked at me in horror like she couldn't believe that I was actually speaking. Her eyes viewed me up and down with disdain, like I came into the room smelling like unicorn dung, "Excuse me. This is not a beauty pageant. This is a scholarship program. And it has been ever since my reign. I _fully_ intend on maintaining that credo."

At her quick, sharp words I found myself closing my mouth but only so I wouldn't say something and get in trouble. I maintained a glare in her direction, wishing I could give her a piece of my mind. Peter put a hand on my arm and I glanced sideways at him to see he was shaking his head softly like he knew what I was thinking.

James pacified, "Absolutely, Madame. We're here to protect the women."

I crossed my arms and briefly wondered if this was such a good idea. They didn't seem like they were willing to work with the Ministry at all.

Madame Princeton stood up from her desk, staring down at us with indignation, "There's nothing more important to me than the safety of my girls. I'd rather cancel the pageant than have them killed. Especially without their knowledge."

Moody cleared his throat; he had been standing in the back, trying to give James the power. Madame Princeton was having not a bit of James' effort though. James looked irked as well; I saw his hands were in fists on his lap.

Moody actually smiled, but with his grizzled appearance it only looked terrifying, "I _personally_ went to the Head of Magical Games and Sports to cancel, but they refused. With the recent political events they want to make it seem like everything is still normal."

Madame Princeton looked less than thrilled at the news Moody gave and made a face like a piece of her salad from lunch had gotten stuck in her teeth.

"I'm confused." Yucco spoke again, refashioning his absurd yellow hat on his grey hair, "What school is your Auror going to be from? All the winners have been chosen."

James coughed to capture the attention of our critics, "While I was working the Quidditch circuit I came across your Miss Hogwarts at the Quidditch World Cup."

"Everyone knows Elizabeth Hurley loves Quidditch, Mr. Potter. What's your point?"

James hadn't introduced himself when he walked in and I wondered from where Madame Princeton knew him. Then I remembered these people were all pureblood—they probably had tea at James' house when he was a kid…or at least knew of James' family. James told me he was the last son in a long line of Potters. The entire pureblood world was probably waiting for his move on the pureblood chessboard.

I licked my lips, glancing at Peter who made a motion like he was going to stand. James cleared his throat again, smiling cynically.

"I guess I _should_ elaborate that I saw her performance at a party after the event…"James raised his eyebrows suggestively, "along with two members of the Daily Prophet who were planning to use the pictures they shot to get a huge publicity sell off of Elizabeth when she competed in the Miss Witch Wonder pageant."

I glanced at Peter who shrugged at my questioning face. Was James' story true? Or had someone paid Elizabeth Hurley to drop out? Sirius had said James would take care of the witch. James was keeping a straight face. I guess as long as we got what we wanted, it was no matter if his story was _completely_ true or not.

Madame Princeton made a dismayed noise and put her head in her hands for a moment. I nudged James who turned momentarily to wink at me. Had he been bluffing? What a _sneaky_ little bastard. I wondered how exactly he'd managed to convince the previous Hogwarts competitor to drop out. Madame Princeton raised her head, looking much older than she had when we walked in.

"Do you have an agent in mind?" she asked, looking positively done with our ideas.

"This is Lily Evans."

I slowly raised my hand and Madame Princeton let her eyes widen and mouth gape open.

"Another muggleborn?" Madame Princeton exhaled, gazing at me with hypercritical eyes.

"Lily was _Head Girl_ at Hogwarts." Peter spoke up; trying to give me credit, bless him.

With a final short, breathy laugh Princeton turned to Yucco. Yucco stood up straighter and I noticed a look pass between them. I felt like they wanted people to stay out of their pageant and wondered if they had made the decision to let muggleborns compete. I felt like they were against it just by the way they were acting.

"Get them Charlene Diggory's number." Princeton ordered Yucco, "Maybe Diggory can work a miracle."

"How dare you!" I stood up, hostile, "I'm a fair sight better than you and your banshee-"

"Lily," James reprimanded, jumping up, grabbing my arm, and pulling me away from the desk.

Stanely Yucco had a hand covering his mouth. Madame Princeton merely curved her mouth up into the first smile I'd seen on her face since I'd met her. She looked like a snake and suddenly I'd never disliked anyone more than I disliked her.

Madame Princeton regarded me with her tiny eyes, "Oh my dear, you will _never_ measure to me." Madame Princeton regarded Moody again who was glaring at me, "I'll have Charlene Diggory get in touch with you?"

"Can she be trusted to keep Lily's identity a secret?" Moody rumbled.

"I can't believe you just said that." James hissed in my ear as Princeton and Moody talked.

I stared up at him in resentment, "I can't believe what a _witch_ she is." I mouthed back.

Madame Princeton had eyes on James and I when I turned back to the office scene. Peter was standing up slowly, looking like he was ready to leave just as soon as I was. James let go of my arm and disregarded me as I adjusted my cloak on my shoulders.

Princeton's eyes narrowed even more, "Good day gentlemen. Good luck getting _her_ pageant ready."

I'm not really sure…but I'm pretty sure…that if all three boys hadn't have grabbed a separate part of my body or clothing, I might've hexed the woman. Or transfigured her into a dinosaur. When the door closed behind us and we were walking through the office building together I exploded.

"What an awful, _horrible_ woman!" I sputtered, "Has anyone done a background check on _her_?! Because I'm pretty sure she just offended me at _least_ twenty times in the past twenty minutes she's known me, which isn't that great of a record! And did you see her little smirk at the end I—"

"Evans." Moody snarled, "Control your petulance or I'll find a replacement for the Academy slot."

I snapped my mouth shut but muttered to myself as we made out way to the café where Sirius and Remus were waiting for us. Moody told James to get in touch with Charlene Diggory before he left us. Remus and Peter started working on getting any information they could on the pageant. Sirius and I sat together during dinner. Sirius told me he was going to get me wonderful dress robes to wear.

"You look about my cousins size." he mused, "and my family dresses their children in top wizarding styles so whatever I grab will probably be perfect for this pageant."

"I thought your family wanted you dead?" I asked, "Why would they give you clothes?"

"They do." Sirius answered as he took a swing from his butter beer, "But I have a cousin who dropped from the family like I did and probably left all her dress robes back at her parents house. I'll just sneak in there and steal them. No one will ever know."

James heard Sirius' plan and advised, "Be carefully Mate. I don't fancy attending your funeral if your Uncle catches you."

"Will the Ministry not pay for my dresses?" I asked, confused, "The Auror department should pay all undercover expenses."

Sirius and James looked suddenly interested in the chips the waitress set on the table. Sirius plucked one into his mouth and looked at James as if to tell him to do the talking. James cleared his throat.

"Moody put us on a budget." James stated simply, avoiding my eyes.

I still don't think I entirely believed James' explanation as I went to bed that night in a hotel room James had gotten for everyone to sleep in until the pageant started and we'd move to that location. Remus was on the sofa, Peter was on the floor, James and Sirius were sharing the first bed, and I had the second bed to myself. As I fell asleep listening to the soft breathing of all four boys I wondered about the pageant and I hoped it would bring me one step closer to becoming a real Auror.

Being an Auror and helping people, especially muggleborns, is all I want to do.


	4. Charlene Diggory

_ disclaimer in first chapter_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Well, I'm here**

**giving it my best shot**

**baby your love is ****all that I need**

I woke up the next morning to a completely empty room. I hadn't even heard any of the boys get up and I wondered where they had gone off too. I rolled out of the covers on the bed and spotted a piece of parchment on the end of the bed stand. It was written in the familiar scrawl of James. The letter explained he had gone to his flat to grab a change of clothes and suggested for me to do the same, as I was to meet Charlene Diggory for lunch with him at the address he included in the note.

My flat was actually a room I had been renting from an old woman in north London. I made my way there quickly in order to grab what few things I actually owned. It was a chilly fall day and I was thankful for my old knitted school sweater to keep me warm. The only nice thing I owned was my old school uniform seeing as they were the only things my parents continually bought me. To my parents, education as everything and any other things came secondary including social clothes.

I fussed at my skirt in the mirror as it had an old ink stain from a leaking quill. I buttoned up the blouse and noted the head girl badge was still pinned to the left breast pocket. My hair was a complete mess but I didn't have time to wash it so I threw it into a messy bun at the top of my head.

I met James two blocks from the café where he'd told me to in his letter. James was leaning against a dull red brick building, cleaning his glasses. I smiled, comparing his actions to many other memories of him leaning against grey castle walls with those same glasses in his hand. James swore he was blind without them and I used to tease him by taking the square frames when he wasn't paying attention.

James wore a pair of dress robes, clothing that looked quite out of place in the London suburbs. A smile remained on my lips because that was just so James. Sirius called it the "pureblood" complex once after transfiguration class. James said it was because he literally owned only three sets of robes.

_"Quidditch robes. Dress robes. School robes"_ he used to say defensively, _"That's all I need."_

I called his name and I saw his expression shift even though his eyes were facing the cement. He placed his glasses back on his pointed face and ruffled his black hair as he lifted his head to watch me approach. He used the leg propped up against the building to push up off the wall and make his way towards me.

"You look completely er, schoolgirl." He remarked with a hint of humor to his tone.

"I think the word you're looking for is ravishing." I retorted, "I'm going to be a beauty queen, you know." I pretended to fluff my hair, even though it was up, and sauntered off in front of him.

"Lily." James snorted, falling into my step as we headed towards our destination, "You are lovely but you lack the patronizing aura of an actual Miss Witch Wonder."

"I thought you liked those types of girls." I tormented him by poking him in the side and he hastily dodged away from my finger.

"I like you how you are now."

I regretted glancing his way; I really did, because he sent me the most ridiculous look. I'd always assumed I'd never have to see James face to face again after I said goodbye to him. I'd always assumed he'd go off and play quidditch like his parents had wanted. I'd assume I could be an auror at the Ministry and could watch James excel from afar. I'd never imagined that I'd be working side-by-side with him again. I still didn't quite understand where he and his mates fit into this mission and I still felt like there was a piece to this puzzle I was missing.

We entered the café where everyone was dressed to the nines and I certainly felt a little silly in my school things. I tugged at my skirt, trying to hide the ink stain and then checked my reflection in the mirror. My red hair had never looked more disastrous. James looked more in place with his dress robes on but I noticed he looked in the mirror as well, trying to flatten his hair from it's current messy state.

The first person in the café to catch my interest was an older woman was wearing a slimming turquoise dress that fell to the floor. She had a sweater thrown about her shoulders haphazardly and looked like she had stepped out of a vogue magazine—even with her stark white hair. James seemed to recognize her instantly. The woman had blue eyes that zeroed in on James and I. Her red lips formed into a abrupt frown as James waltzed me forward. James shoved me a bit, making me trip over my feet and I threw him a dirty look.

"If this is her, I quit here and now." The old woman said, squinting at me as I recovered from tipping.

I grimaced, "He tripped me!"

"I wasn't talking about your lack of ability to walk on a flat surface." The old woman said scathingly, eyeing my hair once her eyes left my face.

I reached my hand up to my hair and felt to see if my bun had come undone—it hadn't. Bits of my red hair were coming down around my face but I hadn't bothered to fix them. I couldn't always get my hair to do what I wanted but I thought that most girls didn't bother trying to save the fringe.

"It's been a bad hair day." I spoke, trying to push the fringe back into my bun unsuccessfully.

"And the clothes?" The old woman remarked with a look at my uniform.

I flushed red and clenched my fists. That's when James finally decided to step in, pushing me behind him and offering the old woman his hand.

"Miss Diggroy thanks for meeting on such short notice. This is Lily."

Diggory finally smiled, accepting James' hand, "Now your hair," she said eagerly, "It's like you've just jumped right off the runway." She then kissed both his cheeks, "Just like your beautiful mother."

"Oh, Merlin." I muttered as James flushed and ran a hand through his haphazard hair, "There goes the ego." I said boisterously.

Diggory assessed me with a scowl, "You don't like his hair?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked at the git, knowing he had nice hair but refusing to admit it in front of him. In return, James was sending me an impish grin that I would've loved to whack off his face. The waiter took us over to a table by a window and I purposely shoved past James for my seat. James put a hand to his heart, pretending to look hurt. I punched him in the side, earning a short laugh from him as I sat down at a table. James, now pleased since his ego had been fluffed by Diggory, sat down as well. I resisted the urge to kick him under the table to get rid of his smug grin.

"No punching. A lady doesn't punch." Diggory itemized her problems with me quickly.

She sat across down in her chair across from me, undid the sweater around her shoulders, and placed it on her lap.

"Yeah." I muttered as I watched her lay a napkin in her lap.

"Yes." Diggory said, staring at me with her blue eyes.

"Yeah?" I quizzically answered, glancing halfway at James who had picked up a menu and seemed to have found something particularly interesting in it.

"It is always "yes," never "yeah." This isn't the quidditch pitch." Diggory also picked up a menu and started picking her meal.

I stared, opened mouthed at this woman before looking over at James for conformation that Diggory was indeed unreasonable. James was still fully absorbed in his menu but I could swear I saw his shoulders shaking from amusement. Had he known Diggory would attempt to pick apart all my bad habits?

When I ordered my meal, Diggory clicked her tongue at my choice of a hearty stew. James commented that Diggory needn't worry as he'd seen me scarf down an entire plate of roast beef and potatoes once. Diggory looked horrified that I could possibly eat that much in one sitting. I made it a point to kick James, firmly, when he excused himself to go to the restroom later on in the meal.

"What did I say about hitting Miss Evans?" Diggory demanded of me and I glowered.

I absolutely heard a clear laugh from James as he rounded the corner to get to the restroom. I'd obliterate him later. Sniffing and picking up a chip from my plate I pretended to analyze it. I then dipped it in the broth from my stew and watched the juices drip of the end.

"So." I said through clenched teeth, trying to create conversation, "How long have you been at this pageant stuff?"

"Sorry? What was the question? I was distracted by your inability to look at someone while talking."

I dropped my chip and it landed in the broth. I looked at Diggory with a clenched jaw and flashing eyes. She didn't seem too threatened by my flashing eyes and instead, tucked a strand of her white hair behind her ear, staring me back calmly.

"What is your problem?" I snapped loudly, earning looks from surrounding tables.

"Problem?" Diggory mused, placing her fork daintily on the table.

"Yeah." Diggory pursed her lips and I lamented, "_YES_. Have I offended you in some way?" I was completely and totally befuddled. "You've been _unequivocally_ antagonistic to me from the moment James and I walked through the door."

Not only was I cross I was also disappointed. I liked to think that I was a people person and to have someone act so downright insolent towards me for no clear reason made me wonder if I'd done something wrong. Diggory either figured out I was genuinely offended or decided to humor me.

She wiped her mouth with the napkin from her lap and began, "I was once the most sought out pageant consultant in pageant history. Every season girls and their parents would plead with me to train them. Ten out of eleven years my girls were winners. The year we lost was because my most recent pick froze like an iceburg right in the middle of the interview portion of the finale."

I wondered if this was the proper time to tell Charlene Diggory I had no intention of stepping foot in public without a decent amount of clothes on. The look of disgrace on the old woman's face told me now wasn't the best time.

"After the pageant my girl told a reporter that I was a perfectionist who had used the liquid luck on her multiple times in order to get the perfect performance. Of course it was utterly absurd." Digggory snorted, "If I _had_ fed her liquid luck the stupid girl wouldn't have frozen in the first place. Naturally, no parents have wanted me since…"

My jaw dropped and I suddenly wished James hadn't been taking so long in the washroom. In fact, I was about to go pull him from the restroom myself and demand we find someone else to make me a believable beauty queen.

"No offense," I coughed, "But why did Madame Princeton suggest you then?"

"Because I am the best." She answered with a twist of her wrist and a smile. Then she sulked as she began looking at me again, "Or perhaps it's because everyone else worth having had a contestant. They had their Italians and their Swedish beauties. Those spunky American cowgirls pick up consultants fast. And I now have...you." The woman leaned forward, "_What_ do you have to offer me?"

I didn't feel like telling her she had a sham Auror with no plans to step into a bikini on a stage in front of hundreds of people anytime soon. The interview portion also didn't sound like fun with Diggory breathing down my neck. I didn't know what to tell Diggory so I fished a bit more food into my mouth, trying to pretend I was mulling over her words.

We stared at each other until James arrived again. James paid for the check and she fawned over him like a mother doe. Clearly, the woman was in love with him. I rolled my eyes as James allowed her to kiss him on the cheek outside of the restaurant. I turned to walk ahead of the pair of them and that's when Diggory's voice called after me.

"Oh Merlin!"

I closed my eyes and breathed in through my nose to control myself from moaning outloud. I could already feel it; her nagging voice was going to haunt my dreams.

"I haven't seen a girl walk like _that_ since a girl at my school fell twenty feet from a broomstick and broke both legs."

"It's been working really well for me for the past 17 years, alright?" I called back grouchily.

"I'd say so." James called after me this time, tone full of amusement.

I spun, hands on my hips as the pair advanced upon me. They walked past me looking fairly ridiculous. Diggory had her arm hooked into James' and was sashaying like she was a pageant queen. In fact, I wondered if she had been one of those girls. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if I found out she had been a Miss Witch Wonder back in her day.

"Glide." She called to me as she and James passed, James with a certain twinkle in his eyes.

I scrunched up my shoulders heatedly but I tried to walk slower like her so she'd lay off. I looked down to see if my feet were cooperating. What on earth was wrong with the way I walked? James looked like a baby giraffe learning to stand with his long legs flailing everywhere when he walked. I thought my stride was graceful!

Diggory called back to me, "Don't look down, look up. Your chin should be parallel to the floor. Now, glide. _Glide_."

"I'm gonna glide you right off a cliff." I muttered unintelligibly, but continued to try.

"I think she likes you." James grinned at me playfully when Diggory left with promises to meet us at the offices across from the Ministry in two hours for what she called "Beauty Base Zero".

"She's insane." I told James with worry flooding my voice, "She's going to kill me."

"She's like—like a more chic McGonagall." James articulated with a comparison to our harsh Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts.

I rolled my eyes before walking away from him, "You only like her because she complimented your hair."

James pulled at the bun atop my head and grinned as he dodged another punch from me, "Ah, ah, ah," he shook his finger mockingly at me, "Beauty Queens don't hit—_OUCH. Lily_!"

I slapped him and swiped his glasses from him, holding them behind me. I started laughing as he reached out to wrap one arm around my waist in order to reach for the glasses I was now holding hostage. I stumbled backwards, trying my hardest to keep his glasses from him and it was only his firm grip on my waist that kept us both from tumbling to the sidewalk.

"Give me my glasses." He ordered.

"Say I have pretty hair first." I laughed as he scowled, "Go on Potter, and say it."

"How can I say you have pretty hair if I can't see anything Evans?" James pushed forward in his toes, slamming his body so tightly into mine it startled me and I shoved my hand back to his chest, the glasses slamming in between us.

I think I stopped breathing as he took his glasses back from my grip and placed them back on his face. I absentmindedly licked my lips and that senseless, smug, _stupid_ smile of his came back. With one last wicked wink he let go of me and continued walking to wherever he was headed. I followed behind at reasonable distance; my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was in my throat.

I remember taunts he used to get for being around me so much at Hogwarts.

_"Potter your blood's been getting a bit muddy lately…"_

I remembered finding him nursing new wounds. Remus told me more than once it had been because some purebloods were roughing him up. I saw it a couple of times myself…feeling guilty each time it did happen. James would say it didn't matter but it did matter to me because the person I loved was in pain—because of me.

James glanced back at me as we continued our walk. He had a soft smile on his face; the autumn leaves falling around him perfectly. It was almost like a picture because it was too flawless.

I'd missed him and he acted like he'd missed me. I just wondered what happened to all his plans to play quidditch and marry the perfect woman. It seemed like the thing James had wanted—changed since the last time we were together. It was like he didn't care about his family any longer…

_"They'd like me to marry a pureblood…play quidditch…"_

Eventually, I fell back into step with him as we wasted time until it was the hour that we were to meet Diggory again. I kept my memories of our history to myself and I continued wondering how James, who had hated the Ministry, got to this point of working for them…

* * *

**Next time:**

_"If you wanted someone who would take a pureblood lying down you chose the wrong girl to compete in this competition."_

* * *

Thanks to everyone for the kind reviews! This is the shortest chapter of them all, the next one is longer! And I'm super excited for you guys to get to all the good parts!

Remember: reviews make me happy! Which in turn makes me edit chapters faster!


	5. The Beauty Queens

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Everything's cool when we're all in line for the throne**

**But I know it's not forever**

**Baby be the class clown**

**I'll be the beauty queen in tears**

**It's a new art form showing people how little we care**

_Beauty Base Zero_ turned out to be a room full of what Charlene Diggory herself called 'beauticians'. Diggory had dressed herself in a new dress and an apron covered in bold flowers. The other people in the room were wearing various pantsuits and had all eyes on Diggory for instruction. When I entered the office I was surprised to see it covered from top to bottom in various supplies for the task of making me into a beauty queen. I eyed a particularly nasty looking silver instrument on one of the tables while James and Diggory talked.

"They're all muggle of course." She whispered to James, "To help with the confidentiality. It'll take more time but I hired them from a salon down the road and they think she's getting a part of the royal family."

James still forced each of the beauticians to sign a confidentiality contract and then Diggory got right to work. I heard James whisper something about memory modification when the process was finished. Diggory pushed all the boys from the room, leaving me alone with a room full of stylists to make me prettier. I sat on the edge of a table that was covered with a thin white sheet. It turned out the thin white sheet was for me to wear.

I undressed nervously in front of everyone. I was left only in my knickers and the eyes of at least fifteen people inspecting my bare skin. Diggory sat me down on the table that was actually a chair as well and I leaned back against the cold wood as the chair was adjusted to my height.

"First the teeth." Diggory pointed at my lips "Smile please."

"What are you going to do to my teeth?" I asked, worried, and clamped a hand over my mouth as I spoke.

I hadn't ever been to a dentist; my mum always said I had nice teeth. Even if I had gotten horse teeth like my sister—my parents probably couldn't have afforded the dentistry work anyways. Diggory pulled my hand away from my mouth and a woman with a silver instrument in her hands put the instrument in my mouth so I could shut it.

"Hopefully, remove the pumpkin juice stains and food residue." Diggory stated with a tap to my teeth, "For this pageant your teeth must shine."

Diggory set someone working on my hair, which had been on a bun. Another woman tugged at the hairband until my red hair tumbled into a wavy mess. The hair woman then began tugging a thick brush through my tangled red waves. I winced with each tug and felt tears appear in my eyes.

I pulled away from the woman scrubbing at my teeth with a metal scraper; the woman doing my hair was killing my skull. "Can I get something for th—ouch!" I whimpered because I'd always had a sensitive scalp.

The woman cleaning my teeth clicked her tongue and rolled her overly highlighted eyes, "It's only a cleaning."

"I'm talking about my hair—what are you doing to it?" I tried to reach back and touch my skull, which was tingling from the brush strokes. Diggory knocked my hand out of the way and sent me a firm warning with her blue eyes—the tugging on my hair resumed. I closed my eyes, wondering if I really needed all this work done.

"Your hair should make a statement, not look like raggedy ann." Diggory said, ordering a woman to start shaping my nails.

"You act like I don't own a brush!" I exclaimed against the hands of the mouth cleaner.

The woman who was tugging at my poor head spoke up, "Do you?" I made a disgruntled sound, "We'll be lucky if I can get these knots out."

I purposely kicked the same woman while she was waxing my legs. I think she then had it out to make my life living hell because once she finished my legs she told me to remove my robe.

"What?"

"Bikini wax." Diggory passed by, scrutinizing the work done so far, her eyes gazing at my forehead a little too long, "No mercy, Anita." She added to the woman preforming the hair removal.

After I found out how it felt to have the hair literally ripped from my parts of my body only few people had seen, I was put in a thicker, fluffier robe and then transferred to a chair where three women started rubbing different vials and mixtures into my legs. It stung like hell and I pulled a face, moaning. Just then, the door to the room opened and I saw James poke his head through. A comical smile emerged on his face.

"How's it going, Evans?" he questioned.

"It's the wee hours of the morning Potter and you dare ask how I'm doing?"

At my less than tickled response he laughed, "Nobody said this job was easy!"

He then entered the room, Peter following at his heels with a handful of things. My beauticians didn't seem pleased at the new guests. Anita was putting something on my eyebrows with a pout as James and Peter made their way to my side. I looked eagerly at whatever Peter carried.

"Is that food?" I asked hopefully, "I haven't eaten since only _Merlin_ knows when."

"Evans, it's two in the morning." Peter replied, "Where am I supposed to buy food?"

I made a frustrated noise and rolled my eyes but the boys were only gazing at me comically. I must've looked a fair sight. The women were doing something to my hair that required it to be mashed between pieces of foil so to James and Peter, I probably looked like a giant tin head. On top of the silver lined hair, my face was covered in a thick crème that was the color of puke and smelled like the crayons my sister and I used to color with when we were kids.

Luckily, James either decided I was suffering enough or was too focused on the things Peter was showing me to make a smart remark.

Peter showed me a small glass pendant shaped like a heart, "This," Peter exclaimed, "Is our greatest asset so don't lose it."

I took it from him and examined it. It wasn't clear glass, as it reflected my face when I held it out. It was pretty though, and looked like a normal pendant any girl would wear. "What is it?"

"It was made from pieces of a n old two way mirror." James explained, "It was Sirius' idea actually. Whatever you see and hear, the rest of us will be able to see and hear through our own, bigger, mirror."

I was actually impressed as I stared at the pin, "Wicked."

Peter then passed me the next piece of important gear.

"This is your pageant ID, it will get you into any part of the pageant areas like the other contestants. The room key to where the mates and I will be staying is also in here."

The reality that I was going into the field as an undercover agent made my stomach do flips with excitement. James grinned at my appearing excitement, ruffling my tin foiled hair when Diggory wasn't looking. Peter collected the artifacts back from me and set them on a table away from me until I was finished my beautify process. Diggory claimed it was time for the final touches and ushered the boys out yet again.

After what felt like three more hours, Diggory clapped her hands and announced that I was finished. A full-length mirror was fetched and Diggory brought me over to the large glass panel to see myself. As always my eyes sought themselves in the mirror. With the make-up applied my emerald eyes stood out like lights against the peachy colour of my skin. I touched the mirror with my fingertips, in surprise.

_I looked like my mother._

My auburn hair had been given highlights and it fell in waves down my back just like my mother used to wear her hair when I was a child. The dress I was in…my mother would've adored it, as we could've never afforded a dress this beautiful when I was growing up. The dress was even green, to match my eyes, I supposed. A small tiara was place on my head, and I wondered where it had come from.

All of the people who had helped "beauty queen" me said goodbye in a long line before leaving. Diggory reminded each of them to meet James downstairs…no doubt where he was preforming memory modification. Diggory fussed with last minute touches and I continued examining myself in shock. It was now just Diggory and I alone in the room.

Diggory was nodding with a proud look on her face, "Oh, I'm _good_."

"I heard she was done—" James walked through the door and stopped dead.

Peter entered behind James and grinned, "Evans, is that you?"

"Can't be." Sirius appeared, "She looks hot."

Remus entered the room last and thankfully, shoved Sirius a bit for effect.

I frowned in the mirror, knowing full well Sirius could see my expression, "I'm in a dress, I have sticky gel in my hair, I haven't slept in 48 hours, I'm starved and—" I pulled my wand out from the front of my dress, holding it up for Sirius to see, "I'm armed. Don't mess with me."

"You know Evans you should try to not talk-makes the effect last longer." Sirius commented dryly.

I spun to face him and tell him off but I turned too quickly in the tall heels on my feet and almost fell on my face.

Diggory caught me and squealed, "Glide Miss Evans, _glide_!"

I heard Sirius' bark of a laugh, joined in by his mates. I felt my cheeks go rosy.

"I'm fine!" I quickly stated, as Diggory helped right me, "I'm fine!"

"Walk slowly." Diggory prompted me, smoothing down her white hair in worry as I started walking forward again.

"Yeah." I pushed my hair behind my ear and glanced at James who was staring at me in shock like he'd seen a dragon come out of my head.

I stopped to stare back with a disorderly expression as I teetered on the heels again. James seemed to think better than talk and gestured to the door.

"_Yes_." Diggory touched my shoulder, "Now lets go, you'll be late for the brunch with the other girls if we don't get to the hotel."

"Remus and I will go ahead to set up surveillance of the area." James, said, smacking Remus on the shoulder and waving to me with smile.

I smiled and waved back, Sirius stepped in front of my view of him retreating from the room. Sirius pulled a sash over my dress that said Miss Hogwarts in silver writing and Peter pinned the two-way mirror pin onto the sash. I tucked my fake ID into my wand holster that was hidden by the long green dress. A light blue cloak was thrown around my shoulders since it was cold outside and I noticed the cloak was covered in sparkles.

Sirius, Peter, and Diggory waited for me at the door and I glanced back into the mirror one last time. I looked less Auror now than I ever did. I reminded myself of the witches in magazines my mates would read in class and pick out fashions from. I looked like I had come right out of Witch Weekly. I looked like the kind of girl James would've taken home to his parents and paraded around at parties after professional quidditch matches. I felt sick to my stomach. Sirius quickly helped dissipate all those feelings.

"Okay Lily, listen up." Sirius' sounded eager at my side, "Operation Thong has commenced."

I pushed him, sending him flying towards the wall as he laughed, "I knew you'd enjoy that one." He grinned, righting himself as Diggory chastised me for hitting.

Peter, Diggory, Sirius, and I walked in a line to the Hotel. Diggory explained the pageant would rent out the biggest hotel in the city they were hosting the pageant in and this hotel was no exception. The owners of the hotel were muggle and their minds had to be modified and they were sent on vacation while witches and wizards overtook the gold and marble designed hotel. A giant fountain in the front displayed waterworks as fancy black cars drove up to the front of the building. Other pageant girls arrived with their entourage, getting out of the black cars and looking around in awe at the gorgeous hotel. I felt like next to some of the girls laden in bejeweled dress robes, I looked positively average in my green dress. I thanked Merlin I was being voted up through the system because I never would've stood a chance at some of these girls. Even with Diggory's makeover.

Diggory put on my sash that stated I was Miss Hogwarts and Sirius made sure all my gear was in it's proper place. I gave my sparkling cloak to Peter, exposing my arms to the cool autumn air. The last thing was Diggory fashioning my hair and straightening the tiara I wore.

"I look positively _plain_." I murmured as a girl sporting a silver and gold cloak walked past us, carrying a small black cat in her arms as someone followed behind her with all their luggage floating in the air.

"Now Evans." Peter touched my arm comfortingly, "Don't beat yourself up, even if Miss Beauxbâtons _does_ look absolutely ravishing…"

Diggory grabbed my arm but before she could warn me not to start anything with Peter who was grinning safely from behind Diggory's arm, someone called Diggory's name with enthusiasm. I watched Diggory's face immediately break into the fakest grin I've ever seen her wear.

"Charlene!" Madame Princeton waved at us from the other side of the entryway, looking dashing in a bright red pantsuit.

Diggory turned to me quickly, "Try not to speak. She offends easily." She warned me as I raised my eyebrows in skepticism to the other two boys at my side. Diggory turned back to where Madame Princeton had her arms open wide, "Why Peggy Princeton." Diggory's voice turned as rich as sugar for the head of the pageant, "If it's possible you look more radiant than ever."

"Of course it's possible." Madame Princeton smirked, kissing both of Diggory's red cheeks in a dramatic flare that almost made me sick—if I had any food in my stomach to do so. Instead I coughed, contracting Madame Princeton's attention.

She spotted me behind Diggory and stated a quizzical, "Hello."

"Hi." I said with lack of enthusiasm at seeing the former beauty queen.

"_Miss Evans_?" Madame Princeton lowered her glasses to observe me closer, "Wow. I mean, wow. I see Charlene Diggory hasn't lost her touch."

"Yea—Yes," I sputtered when Diggory nudged me roughly in the side, "Yes, she's very good." I sent Diggory the best glare in my book when Madame Princeton grabbed my arm.

"You've arrived just in time for the brunch in the dining hall." She started dragging me away from my group; "The others can take your bags up to your room."

Her fingers were like claws digging into my skin where my arm was exposed. I sent a panicked look to Sirius who took a deep breath and signaled to me to do the same. At last second I checked to make sure the mirror pin was attached to my clothing. I half glanced back at my team before being dragged into the depths of the hotel. Diggory looked pissed. Sirius and Peter were waving like I was their child attending her first day of school.

"Yes," I heard Diggory call after Madame Princeton, "We'll just stay here and play the bloody bellhop."

"Who is _that_?" I heard a girl with a nose piercing say to another girl with platinum blonde hair.

"Never seen her before," the blonde girl replied in a thick Swedish sounding accent as I passed with Madame Princeton, "I thought Elizabeth Hurley was going to play for Hogwarts."

Madame Princeton took me into a large room where girls were crowded around chatting and laughing. The room had high vaulted ceiling was painted with the muggle version of fairies—a fair sight prettier than real fairies. Once we entered the middle of the room Madame Pricneton gestured around.

"Make yourself at home Miss Evans."

Madame Princeton then dropped me like a hat and started walking away. I felt the realization set in that I was surrounded by a bunch of girls who I probably wouldn't have been mates with at Hogwarts. I was surrounded by purebloods who thought I was dirt, halfbloods pretending to be pureblood, and somewhere in all this mess maybe a muggleborn or two. It was like I had walked right into the Slytherin common room at Hogwarts. The Slytherins weren't known for generosity or kindness towards muggleborns like me. It was like walking into a horror show—one that I wasn't trained for.

An American accent broke through my thoughts "Miss Hogwarts?"

A dark-skinned girl with hazel eyes appeared in my line of vision. She tucked a stand of her thick and shiny black hair behind and ear before outstretching a heavily tattooed hand. She had a very compassionate aura surrounding her and I instantly felt relieved that the first girl talking to me wasn't shouting at me to get out or telling me that I didn't belong in the same room as all these beauty queens. I let myself drop the frown I'd been sporting since yesterday and I smiled, shaking her outstretched hand.

"Hi." Her smile was so bright; it made me feel welcome, "I'm Avanthi from Salem Academy of Magic. You can call me Ava."

"I'm—"

But before I could even introduce myself Ava cut in quickly, "Lily Evans from Hogwarts." At my questioning look she grinned, "I memorized the orientation packet."

"Oh." I responded with slight unease.

There had been a packet? Diggory hadn't let me seen it if there was—or the pageant people hadn't bothered sending me one since my entry was fixed. Besides that fact…how could Ava memorize over 80 girls' names?

As if in order to accommodate my silence, Ava continued explain, "I really wanted to try and know everyone. I think the best way to make an impact is get to know people on a personal level. I know all 82 ladies by name and picture. Including myself. The Miss Hogwarts picture wasn't there, so I knew it was you from your lack of picture. Shame about Elizabeth Hurley though. Did you know her?" Ava asked about the former Miss Hogwarts.

"No I didn't..." I murmured, tugging on my sash and glancing around us as the room started filling up.

"Oh look," Ava pointed to the front of the room where a large stage was decorated with flowers, "Madame Princeton."

I looked up and saw the old woman staring over the crowd of beauty queen with a terse look on her pale face. I saw she had changed into pearl covered dress robes that shimmered when she moved. I wondered if it was to make her seem more angelic because I thought it didn't even make a dent in her reptile-like face. Ava however, smiled like Princeton was her long lost grandmother and clapped her hands along with the rest of the girls around us. Madame Princeton waved her hand to quiet the crowd.

Madame Princeton gestured around the room, "You ladies," she beamed with a smile that emphasized her wrinkles, "Are most certainly welcome to the Miss Witch Wonder pageant. Please join me and the rest of the pageant staff in the dining area for brunch."

Ava grabbed my arm eagerly and I took her hand for support as she guided me to the proper room just off from the room we'd all been corralled into before. I certainly hoped the boys had a full feed on the room I was entering because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of people in this new room it was hard for me to focus on even the small details. Luckily, even though there was assigned seating, Ava and I sat at the same table. Ava appeared to know just about everyone and introduced me quickly to the girls at our table.

"This is Lily Evans from Hogwarts, ladies." Ava gestured to me as I took my seat, my eyes darting to all the girls at the table.

There was a strawberry blonde with curls that I would've killed for, a very tan woman with a dress so low cut I felt embarrassed looking at her, and a woman I could only describe as tall, dark, and gorgeous.

The strawberry blonde grinned and waved, "Hey." she was picking carefully at a plate of fruit that had been placed in front of her by a waiter.

"Miss Hollywood School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Ava chattered on, pulling out her own seat.

"Otherwise known as Taylor Reagan." Miss Hollywood told me in an American accent as she sent an annoyed glance in Ava's direction.

Taylor Reagan's sparkling blue eyes were so clear they looked incredible. With her sun-kissed skin, round cheeks, and red lipstick I knew any guy at Hogwarts would've killed to even speak to her. She wore silver dress robes that had her school seal embroidered on the breast in gold thread that shimmered.

I smiled and pulled out my chair, sitting in between Ava and the really tan woman who looked at me with distaste. Ava decided to break the ice between us.

"Miss Los Roques Magical Arts," Ava pointed to the very bronzed woman with her puckered lips in a less than welcoming expression in my direction.

"Aly Henwitch." Miss Los Roques offered before taking a sip of her wine.

Henwitch was made up to be perfect with makeup covering every inch of her sharply curved face. Dark eyes surveyed the table with precise calculation as she sipped her wine. I was reminded of a sly cat, waiting to pounce on a victim. Dressed in reds from head to toe that only exaggerated her suntanned skin, she was a pure Spanish beauty.

Ava didn't look too concerned at Henwitch's attitude and moved on to the very last woman. This woman was dressed in a very form-fitting gown that was a deep blue that flowed out at the bottom. She wore a cape that flowed like water off her shoulders and I noted she was very muscular despite her thin frame. I wondered where she was from because her skin was so dark it looked flawless and her hair was braided so that it fell elegantly to one side of her head, gathered in a gown-matching headband.

"Miss Lake Victoria Academy of Magic." The woman stuck out her dark hand and shook my hand from across the table, "You can call me Gi." She smiled, showing off pearly white teeth, "My real name, Mwangangi, is hard for most to pronounce."

"I like your cloak." I told Gi politly and the girl smiled gratefully at me.

"My grandmother made it."

Beside me, Henwitch snorted into her glass. I ignored her. I started reaching for the bowl of toast and butter in front of me. I started piling things onto my plate, ignoring the stares from my tablemates as I reached for all the bread. They hadn't been starved for the past forty-eight hours. One bite into my bread and I was in heaven. I held back the urge to moan. With one last repulsed look at me, Henwitch decided to suddenly play nice.

Henwitch placed her cup down in a dramatic fashion and grabbed Taylor's hand, which was next to her. "I want you all to know, I believe what it says on the sign at the front of the hotel. We are _all_ winners. Most importantly, we're getting our issues out there for people to hear. And it's an honor to have made it this far. Especially when you're from a small school—"

I felt like rolling my eyes from the amount of shite falling from this woman's mouth but I just chewed, focusing on the amazing jam provided with the bread. Ava nodded in agreement to everything Henwitch was saying but unlike Henwitch I think Ava genuinely believed we were all winners.

"That's so true" Ava gushed to Henwitch, "Us Salam witches—"

"I wasn't finished." Henwitch was starting to get on my nerves and I raised my eyebrow in her direction to make it noted that I wanted her to shut up quickly, clearly this girl didn't read faces easily because she continued, "Did it _sound_ like I was finished?"

Ava looked uncomfortable and I hated seeing people bullied because I knew how it felt. I spent most of Hogwarts being bullied because of who my parents were and the rest of the time being made fun of for sticking up for first years. I really didn't like people who bullied other people for no apparent reason and I felt my temper slowly rising.

"I'm sorry." Ava glanced at her lap, "I was just agreeing with you."

My heart instantly broke for poor Ava, who had been noting but nice from the moment I met her.

"Why are you apologizing to her?" I asked Ava, touching her hand and then glaring at Henwitch.

Gi spoke up next, her black eyes flashing at Henwitch in anger, "Clearly she's been tanning so much on her Venezuelan beaches that the sun has killed a few brain cells."

"Are you talking to me _Africa_?" Henwitch spat in Gi's direction.

"I don't see anyone else sitting here acting like a pile of elephant dung." Gi responded sickly sweet to Henwitch who clenched her fist.

Seeing a fight about to break out I turned to our last tablemate who'd been quiet through all this drama.

"Taylor, right?"

The curly haired woman looked nervous that I was dragging her into the situation but she nodded. Henwitch looked at me in complete surprise at my loud interruption. Gi had a slight flush to her face and was adjusting her pretty cape like she was choking on it. Ava looked relieved that I'd suddenly stepped in to change the subject.

I continued my conversation with Taylor, "Hollywood yeah? Palm trees, the whole package? You see famous actors all the time?"

"Yes, of course." Taylor said, as if it was no big deal "I go to school with Kenneth Barnes himself."

Taylor looked like she was proud of this fact and I saw a look on her face that my mates always got when they saw someone absolutely dreamy. Henwitch seemed to know who Kenneth Barnes was though because her face was dropping with jealousy and interest. I had no idea who Kenneth Barnes was but I continued with my conversation anyways, trying to keep Henwitch from killing Gi.

"So, are you dating him?"

Henwitch laughed, "Her? He's the son of _Anthony Barnes_. Like she has any chance."

Taylor blushed and mumbled in Henwitch's direction, "We're friends."

I was making this up as I went along, trying to get the attention away from Ava who was hanging onto my every word…probably in hopes that I had a point to this. The poor girl was relying on me too much but now the direction was focused on Taylor who looked upset at that I had redirected the attention to her. I decided to lighten up the mood as the table was becoming tense again.

I put my hand on my chin and said in the most playful voice I could muster, "Would you or would you not _slip him a love potion_?"

Even though I tried to play it off as a joke, Taylor was looking at me like I'd grown two heads. There was a terrible embarrassing silence and then Ava just started giggling like a five year old into her hand, eyeing me with a look of indebtedness. Henwitch rolled her eyes then struck up a conversation with Taylor about Kenneth Barnes and Taylor's face slowly returned to its normal color. Gi sent me a small smile as she returned to eating her food in peace. It seemed like I had at least managed to grasp Gi's approval with my attempt to calm the nerves at our table of girls.

I felt like I was back at Hogwarts momentarily, sorting out a problem between my mates, except all these girls weren't my mates…

Someone coughed noisily and all us ladies turned to look to the front of the room where Stanley Yucco was fabulously dressed in his typical purple dress robes. Stanley looked like he had on more make-up than I did in order to cover all his wrinkles. He was grinning out at the room of guests with such enthusiasm I thought he actually might start singing.

"Good morning ladies!" he boomed.

"Good morning." Everyone but me answered with just as much enthusiasm.

I continued eating, trying to get as much food as possible while Diggory wasn't around to command me on what I could and could not consume. My dress was starting to feel tighter around the waist as I ate and Yucco talked to the beauty queens.

"It's great to see such fresh, young faces…and even though I'll be retiring soon…" there was a collective gasp around the room which momentarily distracted me from my current satisfaction with carbs.

"That's so sad." Ava said to our table softly, her hazel eyes dimming.

"Oh, he's not retiring." Taylor leaned into our table and whispered, "My father spoke with him this morning, blurted it all out over drinks at the bar. They're _firing_ him. Going for someone younger and more important."

"Maybe the Queen can take the time. She's pretty important." I quipped playfully.

Henwitch frowned deeply at me, "You know you aren't very funny, right?" she asked in a demeaning tone.

"You know you lack a sense of humor, right?" I asked, equally as condescending.

Henwitch looked shocked at my tongue. My old Potions master used to tell me I ought to watch my wit. I never listed to him.

I was unable to comprehend much more because something grabbed my shoulder, "_Jesus Christ!_—" I turned and felt ridiculous when I saw no one standing there.

Just then someone started whispering frantically into my ear, "_Sorry! Sorry! It's James! Sorry! I'm under the invisibility cloak! Sorry!_"

I was literally clutching my heart, the bread I had been eating dropped on the floor. My head was pounding as I processed that James had touched me, James was behind me somewhere watching this entire brunch going on. Just like when we had been head boy and girl together, James was always around. His actions had crept me out beyond belief. I looked around and that's when I realized I had shouted louder than the thought.

The entire room seemed to turn off with a switch and everyone was silent—the only thing that wasn't silent was James continuously apologizing in my ear. Madame Princeton was sending me the look of death and I felt my face going red. I was going to murder James after I finished explaining why I'd just screamed in the middle of what I'm sure was an important retirement speech from Yucco.

"I—I—" I met the disgusted face of Yucco at the podium. Thinking fast I quickly said, "I'm sorry. I had a bite of my toast and realized I forgot to pray."

"_Pray?_!" James hissed, and I resisted the urge to send an arm in the direction his voice had come from.

Everyone stared as I got down to my knees in front of over eighty strange girls and put my hands together like I was a kid back in Sunday school. My mother used to drag my sister and I to church each Sunday together in our best frocks. Of course, if she'd heard me take the Lords name in vain now she'd likely have smacked me. I got my violent tendencies from her, but not the religion. My mother was incredibly catholic and would bury me alive if she found out I made up this scenario.

"Lord," I said loudly, looking through my eyelids to see some girls bowing their own heads, but most were staring at me like I'd turned into a dragon, "please forgive me for not praying before I had breakfast. Thank you very much. Amen."

A few voices joined me and behind me I heard James muttered something but because the noise had started back up I couldn't hear him. I sent a glare in the general direction I believed him to be in. I sat back down in my chair and glanced over at Ava. Ava was shaking her head at me with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks for that—Miss Hogwarts," Yucco struggled to be kind to me but I saw dislike in his eyes.

I'd just dug an even deeper hole. If I weren't programmed to get to the top ten anyways, I'd probably be voted off already. James didn't touch me again, but it was like I could feel his presence. A constant feeling of someone behind me lingered well into the meal and a couple of times I swore I felt a whisper of wind against the back of my neck.

Taylor and Henwitch chatted on and on about how wonderful it was to be a beauty queen as we were handed our schedules for the week. I was matched in a room with Gi who looked relieved that she hadn't been placed with someone else.

Gi told me about her school, located somewhere in Kenya, that operated for a place for girls of all status' to come learn magic. Gi was pureblood and explained she came from a small group of villages that arranged marriages to ensure blood purity. Taylor and Henwitch were also purebloods, but more obnoxious about it than Gi. Ava was halfblood.

"My father is a wizard," she explained to Gi and I, "he went to school in India and then traveled to America to pursue a career in magical creatures." She laughed, "And then he met my Mother at the zoo where she worked and asked her to marry him two weeks later."

"How did she handle him being a warlock?" Gi asked with interest, "My village doesn't allow marriages like that because of the shock it puts on muggles."

Ava shrugged as a usher handed her a personalized schedule, "She thought he was insane and _tried_ to run away from him but she tripped and broke her ankle." Henwitch and Taylor were now paying attention to our conversation, "My dad healed it on the spot and obviously she believed him after that."

"Honestly muggles are so clueless." Henwitch affirmed earning a criticizing look from both Ava and I.

By the end of the brunch when we went to meet our coaches in our rooms, I was ready to string Henwitch up by her pretty pearl necklace. I said goodbye to Ava and headed straight for the room where headquarters was set up. I had a bone to pick with james Potter about scaring me like he'd done in front of over 100 people. I told Gi that I'd be to the room shortly, and to tell Diggory I'd be quick.

Diggory wouldn't be pleased I was going to be late to practice with her—but she'd get over it.

"They told us to get rest before dance practice tonight." Gi reminded me kindly.

"I know." I brushed my auburn hair into a quick ponytail; "I've just got to go see if I need to fill out anymore paperwork since I got here late."

I waved goodbye to the Kenyan and made a roundabout way to the shiny glass elevator. A bunch of people glanced my way as I tore off my Miss Hogwarts sash and threw it over my arm haphazardly. I smiled at one man wearing a weirdly designed jumper. When he didn't smile back I made my way to the back of the lift.

Once I got to the top floor it was just me and one other man who was fumbling with his room key in the corner farthest from me. He kept glancing my way with tense eyes but I ignored him mostly, staring at the silver buttons that led to each floor. The hallway was the smallest I'd seen and the man who'd been in the elevator with me went into the first room on our left. I continued down the hallway until I got to the last door in the hall where I heard James' voice loud and clear.

"—why'd she take her sash off? Does anyone know where she is? Honestly if this is because I scared her in the hall I _said_ I was sorr—"

I opened the door to find James Potter pacing the room, shouting at Remus and Peter who looked up the moment I entered the room. James pushed his glasses up his nose and stopped mid-step, glancing back at me standing in the doorway with an awkward look.

"Don't stop on my account. But please enlighten me." I grinned lightheartedly, leaning against the doorway and crossing my arms, "What _were_ you hoping to achieve by grabbing me in the middle of a crowded room?"

James grinned bashfully and my smirk widened, "I may or may not have tripped and used your shoulder for support."

"You tripped." I said suspiciously.

"I thought that Spanish witch was about to use a killing curse on you!" James defended, throwing his hands up, "I turned too quickly and almost lost the cloak."

Sirius suddenly appeared from what I assumed was the washroom and when he spotted me in the doorway he grinned, "Wonderful prayer Evans." he teased, "You'll have to tell that one next Christmas."

James and I both ignored Sirius, as we were staring at each other. It was like we were having a conversation just looking at each other. James' lips formed a thin line before he spoke.

"Just wear the sash all the time please." He asked, not unkindly.

"Fine."

I waved said sash in the air as I shut the door behind me. Walking into the room I noticed Peter was lounging on the bed. Remus eating a banana on the floor with papers scattering the floor around him. Sirius leaned against the vanity by a large bay window, and James took a place beside him. Their company was by far better than the stress downstairs.

"Diggory's probably fretting that I haven't showed up to my room yet." I laughed, falling into the bed beside Peter.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she came up here demanding you to go practice proper etiquette." Sirius said, and then added as afterthought, "She's gonna kill you when she hears about your little religious scene at brunch."

I lifted an eyebrow at him; "I wouldn't have had to come up with a lame excuse if it weren't for this stupid face." I motioned to James dramatically, "trying to give me a heart attack."

James rolled his eyes, "Why are you up here Lily? Shouldn't you be getting to know your competitors?"

I leaned back, falling into a stretched out position on the bed. I shook my head against the sheets, "No thanks, I got to know them enough at brunch."

"They weren't all that bad." James argued.

I listed my head and glared at James, "You said yourself Henwitch wanted to murder me."

"I heard." Sirius held up a handheld mirror that glittered in the sunlight from the window, "You really know how to make friends."

I smirked at Sirius but he just shook his head, handing the mirror to James' outstretched hand. James mirrored Sirius' sullen position. They looked like brothers standing side by side like that and I couldn't help but smile as they both channeled each other's attitude.

I laid my head back against the sheets again, "If you wanted someone who would take a pureblood lying down you chose the wrong girl to compete in this competition."

"Speaking of purebloods," Remus called up to the bed from the floor, "I have a list of the muggleborns competing in the competition. There is one other besides you."

I heaved my body upright and leaned over the back to the bed in interest, resting my chin on Remus' head in order to grab the papers he was waving up at me. I kicked my heels off as I read quickly and saw it was a list of all 81 contestants and my name was towards the top, underlined. I saw another name underlined as Michelle Brancheau but the strange thing was she had no school attached to her name like the rest of the list. I pointed to it and almost instantly the boys knew what I was pointing at.

"We know." Sirius said as he pulled a blunt from his pocket and lit it, taking a drag, "We thought it was odd too."

As if annoyed from the smoke, Remus got up and opened the window, glaring at Sirius who grinned guiltily at the pale boy. Cool autumn air entered the room and Goosebumps rose on my arms.

"You have to be representing a school." I repositioned myself to sitting cross-legged and re-read the sheet to make sure Michelle Brancheau was the only person with no school listed by her name.

"Why is she competing?"

"That's your job to find out." Sirius answered with a puff of smoke in my direction.

"She's definitely muggleborn." Peter spoke up from behind me; "I saw her name on a list of muggleborns competing in pageants around the world this year in _The Daily Prophet_. She's the only muggleborn approved to come to the pageant." He looked at me apologetically, "Besides you of course."

I had to find this girl and I figured my best chance would be when everyone was all together during dance lessons later this afternoon. I climbed out of the bed, ignoring the protests of all the boys when I started leaving without my sash.

"Opps." I grinned as Peter threw the sash to me, "Guess I need that, huh?"

"I don't get it," Sirius said to James as I opened the door, "it's like she's not _proud_ to be representing Hogwarts at such an posh event."

I threw the sash over my head, the satin itching against my skin, "Well, it's not like I have to make an impression, the entire things rigged to get me in the Top Ten."

"I think you've already made an impression! Try not to get yourself strangled!" James shouted after me and I sent him a wink before closing the door and heading back down the hallway.

I started planning on how I would figure out which girl in the long line of 80 other contestants could possibly be the muggleborn competing with no school under her name. In the end, it turned out to be easier than I'd imagined.

The hotel had a ballroom that the pageant consultants were using as a dance studio to teach us the dance we'd preform at the crowning.

"Most girls will have the dance already memorized." Charlene Diggory had warned me while getting me ready to dance, "They have their little spies all over the place trying to get ahead of the other contestants."

Thankfully, when I was younger, my sister and I had been taught dance lessons from our neighbor in a trade for some of my mum's famous fudge. This was the one thing I was sure I could do without much help. I wasn't a pretty dancer but my old teacher said with my long legs, it was hard to tell at times I was fumbling on steps.

When I entered the ballroom there were girls dressed in their finest workout clothes that showed as much skin as possible. When I'd gone back to the room Charlene Diggory had dressed me in a pair of leggings and a t-shirt with the Gryffindor lion symbol on it that smelled faintly of something entirely too familiar like a body wash I enjoyed. Diggory had put my hair into a pretty bun on the top of my head even thought I told her a pony tail would be just fine.

I was late and when I entered the ballroom alone I found most of the girls were already there. I tugged my shirt hem as I stepped across solid oak floors, trying to spy any hint of a muggleborn.

It was impossible of course, because there was no real way to distinguish anyone based on blood. I bit my lip, wondering how to find the girl I needed to find.

"Hogwarts!" someone called joyfully.

Ava waved me over to where she was standing behind Gi and an orange haired girl with freckles. I smiled and waltzed over their way, all the while looking for any hint of my muggleborn counterparts.

"Are you ready to dance?" Ava asked heartily, tugging on my arm as I came to stand beside her.

"Hi there!" The ginger smiled at me, holding out her hand to me.

She had a very thick southern American accent and dark blue eyes that flashed brilliantly against her red freckled skin. She looked like she spent more time in the sun than any redhead could afford and her red hair was so curly it was tied back and still puffed out dramatically. Either way, she was pretty and stood taller than all of us.

"Lily Evans." I offered, shaking her hand.

The red head tilted her head in interest, "Muggleborn?" she questioned, dropping my hand quickly and pointing to herself, "Me too!" she said with obvious relief.

"What's your name?" I asked the redhead.

"Michelle." She made air quotes with her fingers, "_Shelly_ Brancheau."

I couldn't believe my luck.

I let a smile escape quickly, "Really? What school are you with?"

Shelly suddenly looked apprehensive, "Oh, well, I mean I'm _with_ the Hollywood School of Magical Arts…" she trailed off, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Isn't that Taylor Reagan's school as well?" Ava asked politely.

I kept beat, not wanting to miss this story. I turned my body so my sash with the mirror pin faced Shelly.

Shelly nodded, "Well yeah, but they only normally allow the purebloods or halfbloods compete in the pageant but this year the government made them include muggleborns." She looked like this was anything other than what she wanted to talk about, "Anyways, after a long fight the school decided to send both Taylor and I." Shelly sent a small look aver to where Taylor was standing with Henwitch and two other witches.

I narrowed my eyes, "And how does Taylor feel about that?"

"Uhm," Michelle laughed awkwardly, glancing around the room quickly as if to check and make sure Taylor wasn't listening, "well, she moved out of the room we were sharing, so if that's any sign…" her voice trailed off quickly.

Gi frowned, twisting a pretty beaded necklace around her neck, as if she was unsure if she wanted to be a part of this conversation. Ava brushed back her hair and bit her lip, not looking happy that the discussion had drifted away so awkwardly. I felt bad for pestering Michelle but we had to know and now that I did know—I wasn't feeling any better about the situation. This entire pageant was becoming very dangerous very quickly when it came to blood status.

* * *

**Next time:**

"And they served salad for dinner James. Salad. A girl needs more than _salad_ if she's supposed to be taking down dark wizards. I can't take down Voldemort and bring world peace if I'm eating carrots for dinner!"


	6. Sleepless Nights

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

**It's fortune that favors the brave ones. **

**Remember what we love the most.**

**Untangle our hands, unravel ourselves, and let go.**

**Can we just give up the ghost.**

**All that we know, all that we are, all that we were, all that we have been.**

After dancing class my feet hurt like hell and I swore I had broke my ankle. I was hoping we'd be done after dance but was no rest for a batty queen because we were rushed off to a quick tea after practice was over. I was looking forward to sitting down at tea but it turned out tea actually meant stand-around-and-talk-to-reporters. This mingle time was complete with no chairs because us girls were expected to mingle and chat. Reporters stood around and tried to grab me once or twice but I managed to make up excuses before I got interviewed. I stuck to Ava's side and Michelle stuck to my side. Some girls spoke to Michelle and I but we were mostly ignored or send rude glares.

By the time it hit 10:00 I was ready to go to sleep. I follow Gi out of the large room where we'd been fitted for some outfits for the next few days. Diggory had been there, showing me some of the dress' Sirius had somehow nicked from his cousin. I wasn't looking forward to wear one of the uncomfortable black numbers she had thrown at me while I complained about the pain my feet were in.

I'd been up for Merlin knew how long and entering the suite I shared with Gi was like entering paradise. I hopped into the golden tiled shower first, letting the hot water wash off over my whole body and finding it positively wonderful. I scrubbed at every single inch of my face, trying to take off the mask of make-up that had been applied to it this morning but when I stepped out the shower I saw my makeup had simply smeared all over my face. I resembled a raccoon. With a moan of frustration I took a washcloth to my face and scrubbed as hard as I could, taking off layers of skin while I was at it.

When I was satisfied that I had removed as much of the make up as possible I let Gi have the bathroom. The tall witch grinned at the mess of mascara colored towels on the counter when I left the bathroom door open for her.

"That is why I do my own make-up." She said, closing the door behind her, "I like to feel like I have a face."

"Not all of us can be as blessed with beauty as you are." I called and I heard a grateful laugh echo through the room.

I landed on the bed I'd chosen, the one closest to a sliding glass door that looked out to a bustling intersection. I closed the long white shades to give Gi and I some privacy and that's when someone knocked on the door outside of our room. I wasn't expecting anyone of the people working with me to come bother me. I'd assumed the boys were asleep by now. I opened the door, pushing back my wet hair from my face to get a good look at the visitor.

"Hello." She squeaked, standing on her tip-toes expectantly.

It was Ava, dressed in a really frilly dressing gown decorated to the brim with flowery lace. Her dark skin was scrubbed clean and her red colored tattoo designs on her hands popped out even more. She was holding up a kettle and two cups.

"I made hot chocolate." She grinned, "It's dark chocolate!"

Any chocolate sounded like heaven after today's tea of dishes from around the world. Gi had forced some sort of broth down my throat that left a nasty taste in my mouth the rest of the afternoon and then when dinner came around it was nothing but salad. I didn't see anyone else look as disappointed as I at the bowls full of salad on the tables.

"You are most welcome." I said eagerly.

I couldn't help but smile at her happy little dance when I opened the door wider and let her in. She ran over to the bed, careful not to spill her drink. As she poured both of us cups I sat down on the bed beside her. Ava's waist length hair was dry and stick straight, something that would never happen with my hair. She stuck the long strands around her neck in order to keep it from falling into the cup of hot chocolate she passed to me.

"My mom makes it for me whenever I'm stressed." Ava told me as I blew the steam off it, "My dad prefers tea of course, but he even makes it sometimes." Ava frowned into her cup, "She couldn't come because she's a muggle."

I tucked my hand around the warm cup and crossed my legs. I had remained in the same clothes I'd danced in, considering the only other option I had was the dress I'd arrived in. Diggory wouldn't let me bring back the other gowns Sirius had nicked. They'd smelt horrible after dance but I'd just washed the shirt in the tub and then dried it with my wand. Unlike all the other girls here, I didn't have money to buy pretty nightgowns and dresses to wear often. Ava cleared her throat after taking a sip of her drink.

"You know, I have to tell you...I thought it was really great how you stuck up to Aly Henwitch." I couldn't believe how kind Ava was, and thoughtful for even thanking me. I opened my mouth to argue but Ava continued, staring at her cup. "That's why you're gonna win, even if you are muggleborn. You're _so_ clever."

I laughed uncomfortably, not sure how to tell her how wrong she was. I took a sip of the cup of hot chocolate, wincing as the liquid burned my tongue. I swallowed quickly to speak but before I could even tell her how I wasn't even going make the top five she continued complimenting me.

"You're really funny. You should tell jokes for your talent." I froze mid sentence, feeling like bomb had exploded in my stomach and it wasn't from the hot chocolate.

My talent? I'd totally forgotten about the talent portion! Diggory had mentioned it once but I hadn't really been paying attention.

"What _is_ your talent?" Ava pondered.

I didn't have a talent. I didn't have an ounce of talent. In school I was just…Lily. I never played quidditch like James. I never did any activities like gobblestones or wizards chess. I was absolutely, positively screwed. Ava was waiting for me to say something and instantly I started babbling. I was normally good a lying but lying to Ava felt wrong because she was so sickly sweet.

What was even a talent done at these kinds of things? In grade school before I left for Hogwarts we'd had talent shows. Girls sang, danced, twirled batons, and preformed skits. I wasn't sure I could do any well enough to call it a talent.

"It's- It's kind of like...It's, you know, it's like a surprise. But don't worry, it's nothing embarrassing. Not anything like baton twirling or anything." I babbled with hand waving and eye wandering, "So, what's your talent?" I chortled gracelessly at the longhaired girl.

Ava tilted her head to the side, blushing deeply, and I knew before she said anything, I knew I'd made one huge stupid mistake, "Oh, Ava, I'm sorry—I didn't."

Ava turned dark in the face, "It's okay. Most of the other girls sing or dance but twirling can be a real art." She smiled, nervously. "I danced this style called _Kuchipudi_ when I was younger and then I saw this girl do this baton twirl routine at my mothers old school and when I mixed the two together—well it turned out _really_ cool. It's a real art." The way her hazel eyes lit up made me realize she truly loved her talent. Ava pushed back her long hair, "Once this girl_ lit her batons on fire_. I wish I was brave enough to do that."

If there was ever a girl I'd wished I'd gone to school with, Ava was one. I nudged her with my shoulder playfully and she looked up at me with a shy smile.

"Why can't you?" I asked positively, "It'll look ten times better than what my talent is…"

I mused that it was because my talent was currently nothing.

Ava laughed and shook her head quickly, "I'm deathly afraid of catching myself on fire." Ava bit her lip and glanced back down at her cup.

"Ava, I think you have as good a chance as anyone to win." I mused, passing her my now empty cup, "You believe in yourself enough to have gotten this far, yeah?"

Ava just sighed and stood up off the bed, "You're so nice and smart and funny. You're definitely gonna win."

"Just wait until you see my lack of talent." I joked, walking her to the door.

"Oh you can't mean that." Ava hugged me goodnight and waved as she disappeared down the hallway.

When I closed the door, Gi walked out of the bathroom in what appeared to be a nightgown but was very open in the back exposing her dark skin. Gi had a nightcap on and grinned at me as she fell into her bed.

"Ava?" she questioned as she fluffed her pillow.

I nodded and went over to my bed, falling into it, just as our door swung open and slammed against the wall. Gi and I jumped.

"Oi! Wake up!" I knew that voice anywhere.

"You inconsiderate bloody-!" I jumped out of the bed instantly and Gi tried bending around the wall blocking her view from the gangly black haired male I could see.

James had entered the room, grinning with a wicked look in his hazel eyes, "Oh breathe Evans, it's just me…"

I straightened my borrowed shirt and touched my head to feel my hair was still soaking wet from the shower. It fell around my shoulders and was starting to puff up. I probably looked a fair sight from pretty. Instantly I crossed my arms at him,

"You're looking spectacular." His eyes swept my face and I wanted to wipe his smug grin off his face, "Take all your make-up off then? Diggory won't be too happy with you."

"How did you get in here?" I demanded, racing over to try and push him out of Gi's view.

James snorted when I tried pushing against him as he entered farther into the room.

"I nicked a key from the front desk." He grinned, pushing me off him easily, "your roomie here?" he spotted Gi sitting up in bed staring at him ridiculously, "Hullo!"

Gi raised an eyebrow in shock at James when he waved at her from around the wall. I had no doubt she was trying to figure out exactly why a strange man had entered our room when it was almost the middle of the night.

"James!"

I grabbed his shirt and tried dragging him from Gi's sight but he didn't budge. Instead he looked around our room for a moment. He was taking on all of Gi's things on her side of the room and all of the lack of things on my side of the room. His searching eyes landed back on me and I saw a trace of pity. Certainly my side of the room looked pathetic to Gi's side but I didn't own much in the first place.

I frowned at his pity, wrinkling my nose at him, "What do you need, James?"

"You preferably."

Behind me, I heard Gi giggle into her hand. I just stared at James with a les than amused look. It was the middle of the night and I wanted to sleep. When I didn't laugh at his joke or turn him down he sighed because I didn't play along with his teasing.

"Fine, fine. I'm not the only one who wants you." James finally explained with a roll of his eyes, "Someone had to get you for Diggory. I volunteered."

"It's the middle of the night and I'm not dressed." I contested, not wanting to go anywhere until I got eight hours of sleep.

James let one of his eyebrows raise in question, "Your looked dressed to me, your wearing a shirt—" His eyes flicker down at my shirt and a soft smile spread across his face. A content smile that made me suddenly aware of exactly whose shirt I was wearing. "A very _nice_ shirt." He said offhandedly but with enough emphasis my face went bright red.

Unable to even say anything, or even look at him now, I stormed past him. I grabbed my wand holster and wand from its hook and went outside into the hallway. I started making my way down the hallway, wondering if I could escape seeing Diggory if I hid in a stairwell. I heard James announce a very loud goodbye to Gi who responded with a farewell before I heard his large feet pounding down the hallway, accompanied by his laughter. I tugged at his shirt angrily, hating that I had practically lived it in all day. I should've recognized it; he used to wear it the day before quidditch matches. It even smelled like him and the fact that I knew what James smelled like made me feel like one of those crazy girlfriends my mates and I used to make fun of at Hogwarts.

"I mean it," he grabbed my arm, tugging me into step with him even though I was trying very hard to get away from him, "Charlene needs you to practice some things and she was probably assuming you'd still be in full makeup."

I snorted, "It took me an hour to get that mask off."

"It was quite a pretty mask." James commented softly, before bumping my side, "But I prefer you like this." His eyes flickered back down to my shirt as we walked down the long hallway and I felt myself blushing again.

I decided to change the subject, hooking my wand holster to my thigh as we walked, "My roommate is going to wonder who you are now. You shouldn't have come down to the contestants floor—it could blow our _entire_ mission!" I poked him in the side and he dodged my aim.

"Yeah well," James said, ruffling his hair, "I doubt your roommate is _too_ concerned."

I ignored him as he guided me to wherever we were headed. We continued into the elevator, which was playing a soft enchanting lullaby. James pressed the button for the second floor and I leaned up against the side of the glass, feeling exhausted. I couldn't remember the last time I slept and at dinner they'd served salad. James saw me leaning against the cool glass and leaned up against it next to me, then the idiot started making funny faces. He was contorting his face into a million different expressions, trying to make me break a smile. At my less than enthusiastic stare he groaned.

"Merlin Evans, lighten up."

"I haven't slept in two days!" I cried at him and James took a step back, raising his hands in defense, "And they served salad for dinner James. _Salad_. A girl needs more than salad if she's supposed to be taking down dark wizards. I can't take down Voldemort and bring world peace if I'm eating carrots for dinner!"

James snorted and put two hands on my shoulders, bringing me in closer to him as the elevator lifted, "Hey." He said shaking me frivolously, "Do me a favor and smile, yeah?"

"I can't." I mumbled crankily, crossing my arms across my chest.

James let his eyebrow raise in defiance, "Oh really?" I nodded stubbornly and he looked doubtful, "I'll give you a sugar quill." James tempted me, "Come one, one smile."

I groaned and shook my body in exhaustion, "How big a sugar quill?" I rubbed my eyes and peeked at James through my fingertips. He sent me his stupid looking smirk and I felt a smile crack my face. He cackled and slung an arm around my shoulders, kissing my forhead and making my skin crawl.

"There's the smile."

I didn't smile for long though.

"You don't _walk_, you float."

We had all snuck into the theatre downtown where the pageant was being held for the finale. I was practicing walking slowly down the stairs of the stage in a long black and diamond encrusted dress that Sirius nicked from his cousin, unbeknownst to her. The dress was slit up the side so I'd made sure to hook my wand in a holster under the dress for easy access. Sadly, the holster was making it difficult for me to walk exactly as Charlene was demanding from the floor of the stage.

I had one hand on the banister and the other one was flared slightly at my side. After taking a final step down my wand holster decided to ride up uncomfortably. I grimaced from the discomfort and wondered if I should just throw my wand away. No one was going to attack me right now; it was only two in the morning. _Normal_ people were asleep.

"Gently descending, you don't look down." Diggory chatted for the fifteenth time that night, "Go back up and do it again. Never, ever look down, okay?"

I wanted to say how I was _not_ okay but instead I stomped back up the stairs, yawning and glancing over to the side of the stage where Sirius and James sat talking to each other. It looked like they were playing cards. James had his wand pointed at his cards and Sirius was counting, his lips slowly moving. Merlin, they had it easy. I began descending the stairs again, trying not to let the wand holster ride up again.

"Thighs touching..." I squeezed my thighs together as much as I could.

"-_Touching_, not clenching."

"I'm touching!" I snapped as I landed at the bottom step again and sat down, the dress clinging to my bare skin and the jewels digging in and leaving imprints.

"There's a gap between your knees and calves, your calves and your ankles." Diggory clicked her tongue, "Do it again." She ordered, swinging her cane at the stairs.

I shoved myself back up into my feet, which were dying from the high heels and made a snappy retort about how there was a gap between my spinal chord and my brain. Then my holster rode up again and I made a frustrated sound that made James and Sirius to look up from their pow-wow on the side of the stage.

"Alright, Evans?" James called with his tone actually less than concerned.

I ignored him and started reaching under my dress. I undid my Auror badge from the Velcro holding it to the holder, "Here." I threw the badge at Charlene who let it fall to the floor in surprise at my throwing things in her direction, "Take these." And I unbuckled the buckle holding my wand sheath to my upper leg. I threw that down the stairs and Charlene caught that with her fingertips, looking positively disgusted.

"_Well_!" Diggory said with chagrin, "its no _wonder_ you couldn't walk normally!" Charlene dropped my wand to the floor in its holster.

"What's her excuse the other 80% of the time?" Sirius called to us and I wished I had my wand now so I could hex him.

I sent Sirius a gesture that earned a loving blow of a kiss back from the bastard. James was grinning at me and I saw him wink in my direction. I was too tired to respond. I finished walking down the stairs so perfectly that Diggory clapped and I took a low bow before kicking off the heels for relief.

"James!" I shouted causing James to glanced over my way with an amused expression in the wings of the stage, "Where's that cookie you promised?"

James snorted but motioned to Sirius who pulled a box of sugar quills and fudge from inside his cloak. For the first time all night, I was excited. I bounded over to Sirius who stood up to meeting me in the middle of the stage. I tried to grab the whole box but Charlene appeared out of nowhere and pushed my hand out of the way. I watched in horror as Charlene Diggory, life-ruiner, broke a single sugar quill in half before handing it to me.

I would have argued but I was too starved and shoved the entire thing in my mouth, moaning when the sweet taste hit my tongue. James snorted and Sirius stuffed a whole block of fudge into his mouth, winking at me.

That's when Diggory decided to remind me of the one thing I shouldn't have forgotten.

"What are you planning to do for your talent, Lily? Sing? Dance? Chew with your mouth closed?" She was clearly commenting on my lack of care of chewing politely.

I reached for another half of sugar quill but Charlene knocked my hand from the box again. Taking a deep breath so I didn't murder Diggory, I then spoke, "I'll do whatever you want, your majesty."

I reached out quickly and swiped fudge right from Sirius' grasp before he could shove it in his mouth so that I could shove it in my mouth. Sirius didn't even look bothered because he started sucking on the edge of a sugar quill. Chocolate flavor overtook my senses and I felt like I was in heaven. Charlene was so horrified at my answer she didn't even stop me from my fudge stealing.

"You have no talent?!" she half shouted, her voice echoing in the abandoned theatre.

"Don't shout it in front of her." Sirius said in a tone of mock concern and James started laughing but stopped when he saw my less than charmed gaze.

Charlene shook her head rapidly, "No. I _wasn't_ told to provide a talent. I can't do so in the next five hours!"

"What are you talking about?" James broke in, "She has to have something to do. You have to think of something."

I chewed my fudge thoughtfully. I had done dance as a little girl but I doubted I could dance as well as the other girls doing ballet as their talent. I didn't want to look like a fool.

Charlene scratched her white hair in distress, "She'll be on-stage with nothing to do but convert oxygen into carbon dioxide! This is supposed to be all her, I can't help!"

"You said you couldn't make her pretty in two days, but you managed to turn her into a decent looking witch." Sirius dodged my fist throw and James grabbed my arm to attempt to stop me from throwing another one at the sneering pureblood holding the box of sugar quills away from my punching.

Charlene wagged her finger at all of us, "my duties are stated in a contract and I have fulfilled them." She fastened her cloak and nodded to us, "See you in the morning for makeup Lily."

She left us by leaving through the exit doors on the side of the stage. I was unsure on what to do next. James was still holding onto me but I didn't fancy hitting Sirius any longer. I just wanted another sugar quill to suck on while I pondered what on earth my talent could be.

"Can you do anything?" James asked me, worry in his face, "Sing? Act?"

I shook my head, my lips pursed, "No, James. I never played Quidditch. I never did anything except dance as a kid and—wait-there's _something_ I know how to do. I haven't done it in a while but—"

"Oh Evans, you're not allowed to have sex on stage..." Sirius grinned at me mockingly.

"I didn't know it was an option." I replied with aversion, reminding myself to murder Sirius in his sleep. I looked to James, "Remember when we'd go on head rounds and we'd sneak off to the quidditch pitch?"

He knew exactly what I was talking about. I grabbed my wand holster and started attaching it back onto my thigh while glancing around and seeing my ID on the floor as well. I picked it up as James tried to keep up with me.

"The trick flying?" James exhaled, "Lily I don't think—"

"Hey," I pushed against his chest, "You said my broom jumps were _perfect_."

"Wait—" Sirius held up a hand, "you two used to sneak off to the quidditch pitch during head rounds?"

James looked at Sirius like he was damaged, "What?"

I shrugged, "Only on slow nights."

James shook his head, "Lily you can't do that for your talent—you could get seriously hurt. I wont be able to be on a broom to catch you if something goes wrong."

"What is trick riding?" Sirius questioned, tucking the box of sugar quills back into his cloak.

"We made it up." I told Sirius, "James was showing me how to stand on a broom and we started experimenting—"

"We were just messing around." James argued with me, "We had each other if something went wrong."

"It's the only thing she can do," Sirius reasoned, capturing James' attention "And she has to have a talent."

Then I saw them exchange a look, obviously a thousand words were carried in that exchange because I was quickly granted my wish. James sighed but nodded his head in acceptance of the current plan. My stomach was churning from nerves as I wondered how exactly I'd show off my ability to jump off a broomstick and survive…

It's like jumping off the swings as a kid…I reminded myself as the cold air hit my skin when we left the theatre. I didn't know why but as a kid I'd loved soaring off the swing sets, trying to fly without a broomstick. I was able to control the wind a bit I found, make it move for me so I could soar farther off the swings than my sister ever could.

When James and I started playing with the brooms back at Hogwarts and I'd learned how to stand on a moving broom I started leaping from the broom and trying to land solid on my feet without falling. It had taken me two tries to get it right and after that I started flipping in the air before landing on my feet. Once I even tried doing a handstand on my broomstick. I'd managed it once. I wondered if I could again.

We started walking back to the hotel, our arms interlocked. I used both boys for warmth since I lacked a cloak. I'd forgotten it when I'd stormed out of the room and the cold autumn night was sinking through my skin. I was even still wearing the dress that Diggory had forced me to change into. James' shirt was back in his possession. Both boys were silent, lost in their own thoughts. I remembered all the things I'd found out today.

"Did you hear the girls telling me that Stanely Yucco was getting fired?" I asked James who had been a brunch under his invisibility cloak, "because if that's incentive to blow up a pageant I'd think it was any. Also, the other muggle born Michelle Brancheau, did you guys hear that story over the mirror?"

"I'm on it. Peter's is looking into the background of Taylor Reagan and Michelle Brancheau." Sirius said from my left side, "You just concentrate on being a perfect little beauty queen, all right?"

"And by the way, you're doing a great job." James nudged me with his elbow, causing me to almost drop the heels I was clutching, "I think this gown looks…" he paused and seemed to think of something else to say, "Anyways, I totally bought you being a beauty queen today."

Sirius muttered, "_Gag_ me" and pulled out a cigarette to smoke from his pocket.

I felt embarrassed at James' attention because of our history but I decided to make Sirius laugh so I played James' falter with the compliment about my dress, "I know, you think I'm gorgeous." I teased James. I broke away from their grasp and began spinning on my toes and walking backwards. My bare feet hit the stones and I swung the heels high in the air singing at the top of my lungs, "You think I'm gorgeous!"

Clearly embarrassed now James uttered, "I don't think you're gorgeous." James was red, even on his neck, normally something that only happened when he was irritated.

Sirius snickered at my antics and raised his cigarette at me in salute, "Evans, I _think_ he wants to kiss you!"

I feigned surprise but I felt myself going red at the suggestion. In order to keep up my games and not make this serious I smirked at James, "_You_ want to kiss _me_?"

James, tried of being harassed, pulled his arms around Sirius who started yelling obscenities when James knocked the cigarette out of his hand, "Come on Evans, Sirius is more feminine. I'd rather kiss him."

"Bugger off mate." Sirius suggested, pushing himself away from James' attention. James started making kissing faces at Sirius and laughing at Sirius' expression.

"Rejected, James." I called behind my shoulder, still giggling as I entered the hotel.

The Hotel Manager looked up from his desk at the scene unfolding in his lobby. Sirius and James were wrestling playfully now, Sirius trying to keep away from James and James trying his finest to kiss Sirius' cheek. I laughed and clapped when James finally succeeded and Sirius ruffled James' hair playfully before uttering a goodnight to the both of us.

"Night, love!" James called to Sirius.

Sirius' departure left James and I standing in the lobby. I was clutching my stomach from the laughter but James still looked slightly put out from my teasing. James sulked in my direction, his ears slightly red. I didn't feel sorry for him; he teased me all the time.

"You be careful around those girls, yeah?" he told me softly, "Don't get yourself into too much trouble with them. They have friends in all the right places."

"I've got friends too." I smiled, cocking my hand on my hip, "and so far, most of them are alright. None of them have tried killing me yet, at least."

He looked like he had other ideas about the girls I was surrounding myself with in the Pageant. I liked to think I had a good judgment of people and I'd simply avoid anyone I didn't deem as worthy of my friendship. I stood up on my tiptoes to look him in the eyes and stretched out my arms for a hug.

"Come on James," I said, mocking his tone with me earlier in tonight adventure, "One smile. _I'll give you a sugar quill_."

I watched as James narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, his expression indecipherable. Suddenly, a ghost of a smile came back to his face. I stood on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck, and whispered against his ear, "There's the smile." And then I let go of him and walked away with a perfect hip-swing that Charlene Diggory would've been clapping at.

"See you later?" James sputtered after me, his tone now inspired.

I stopped mid hip swing and suavely raised one hand in his direction, gesturing to him a playful 'yes'. He shook his head at me but he was standing with a wide grin like a fool in the middle of the lobby. As if he couldn't let me have the last word, he continued shouting.

"Breakfast together in the morning?!" he shouted after me, with a hint of his old schoolboy charm back in his tone.

And I remained the same girl I had been in school, shouting down to him, "It is morning!" before losing sight of the messy haired wizard.

Just hearing the way these purebloods operated made me wary of what could possibly happen to James if he officially went out with a muggleborn in public. Purebloods harassed him enough when we were mates in school, I could only imagine what some of the people here would think. I thought of everyone's reaction to Ava's mother being a muggle and how Gi had been surprised the marriage had even been allowed. I thought of Taylor moving out of her room with Michelle simply because she was muggleborn. I thought of the man we were trying to capture…and what he wanted to do to anyone affiliated with the muggleborns in this competition…

James was safer without me.

* * *

Next time: "In place of friends and relationships, you have your wit and a wand."

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Don't forget to review!


	7. Cheap Tricks

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

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** Chapter 7:**

**I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing **

**And I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing **

**I could lie, everything that kills me makes me feel alive.**

**Lately I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be**

"You look tired Lily." Ava commented softly from her vanity.

We all sat in the dressing room the next morning getting ready for the preliminary rounds of the contest. I had gotten about two hours sleep and I was trying my hardest to not fall asleep. Diggory had pulled my hair into a tight bun at the top of my head and was panicking as she tried to figure out what I should wear. In the end she had placed me in leggings and James Potter's old quidditch jersey that warmed me up the instant it touched my skin. I sat in my chair, sipping my coffee; in his comfy shirt I had no intention of returning once the talent portions were over.

"Oh she had a busy night." Henwitch walked past, providing me a nasty look, "I was thirsty and got up for a glass of ice water and I saw you with that gentleman in the lobby."

I soured even more and sunk into James' comfy shirt, trying to hide my red cheeks.

"Gentleman?" Ava looked at me in surprise.

"He seemed nice enough." Lopes remarked from behind us at her own vanity.

"You _met_ him?" Ava turned to Lopes in surprise, "Who is _he_?" she demanded of me.

"She's probably sleeping with the judges since she has no _real_ chance of winning." Henwitch snorted from her station.

I licked my lips and wondered for a moment if I'd be available to be an Auror if I went to Azkaban for a few years on behalf of the death of Aly Henwitch. Thinking better I took a deep breath and said quickly, "No, _no_. James and I were student leaders together at Hogwarts. He was helping me practice for today."

Not a total lie.

Taylor decided this would be an excellent time to open her big mouth.

"James…you aren't talking about the pureblood James Potter are you? The _most_ eligible pureblood bachelor in England?"

"I dunno about eligible." I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

"Holy Agrippa," Taylor squealed, rolling off her chair to come stand with the small crowd of girls around my vanity, "You know him, like, _personally_?"

I shrugged, putting my coffee cup on the vanity counter, "We are mates."

"Aren't you muggleborn?" Taylor pouted her lower bottom lip in confusion.

I had to bite my tongue in order to not snap at Taylor, "So?" I stood up and faced Taylor, meeting Michelle Brancheau's eyes in the corner of the tent.

"Don't waste your time trying to explain anything to the mudblood Taylor," Henwitch called from her vanity where she was spraying glitter over every inch of her body, "The concept of social class is _lost_ on their species."

My jaw must've dropped to the floor and someone, some decent person, grabbed my arm to make me stand still. As if the blow of that _awful_ word didn't make my skin crawl enough, Henwitch simply sneered at me unapologetically and I felt like I was going to puke from anger at the witch. I reached for my wand on the vanity but someone got to Henwitch before I could turn her into a toe-rag. Henwitch screamed when hot candle wax fell onto her perfectly made up hair. The hot wax drifted down the curls, turning to solid wax over the stands in seconds. Henwitch looked maddening.

Michelle Brancheau standing over Henwitch with a look of firm animosity.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?!" Henwitch jumped up, reaching for her wand and pointing it at Michelle, "My hair took _two hours_ to do!" the candle wax was molding onto every curl perfectly.

"I'm sorry." Michelle said in mock horror, "my species and I just were never taught the _socially acceptable_ way to use a candle." Henwitch's jaw dropped as Michelle dropped the candle on the floor and stomped out the flame, "Besides," Michelle spat, "Your made of enough wax, I can hardly tell the difference."

"You freak!" Henwitch reached forward to start strangling Michelle who stood her ground defiantly.

I winced and grabbed my wand, ready to go and stun Henwitch but wizards broke through into our room after the warning of a fight. Henwitch and Michelle were dragged out quickly and their wands were confiscated. Henwitch sent me a glare as she passed but Michelle grabbed my hand and dragged me along with her as she was dragged out.

"They're going to kick me out for that, so you beat their sorry pureblood arses into the dust." Michelle pleaded with me, her firm grip on my arm unnerving.

"I will." I promised her, never feeling so less helpful.

Michelle was forced to let go of me and I went to go look for her after the other girls asked if I was all right. I brushed Ava off and told her I had to go to the washroom. I couldn't find a single piece of evidence that didn't unprove my fears—that Michelle had been picked out of the pageant for protecting our lifestyle.

Henwitch came back with her stylist to fix her hair only minutes later but I couldn't find Michelle. Finally, after searching the other tents near us, I gave up.

Henwitch's voice kept echoing in my head, _"You freak!_.

I wished I could find Michelle to give her a hug for sticking up for us. I know if Michelle hadn't stepped in I would've—and I would be the one being kicked out. The mission would've been stopped in its track and I'd have nothing to show for all this work. I owed Michelle more than she'd ever know.

The talent portion of the competition started and I stayed on the lookout for anything off since this was a public event and the only thing we knew about the man we were tracking was that he liked public events. The talent portion was being held in a quidditch pitch on the countryside someplace. When we'd arrived this morning, all us girls, there had been no witch or wizard in sight but now I could hear cheering and shouting for certain girls to make an appearance.

Diggory told me that more than 1,000 witches and wizards had shown up from all over the world to watch the preliminaries.

"So be on your best behavior." She hissed at me before handing me a broom that looked strangely familiar…

I touched the soft brown handle in awe and disbelief. I knew the initials carved into the top were James' initials and I was floored he'd allow me to even hold his broom. James loved his broom above anything else in the world, as it had been a gift from his parents for getting Head Boy. A small smiled flittered across my cheeks.

One by one the girls got up and preformed a dance, a song, or another portion of talent. All of the girls were very talented and I felt subpar as I finally stepped onto the stage accompanied by nothing but the broomstick and my nerves on end. The entire stadium was packed with witches and wizards watching me, a large screen projected my face to the crowd. I suddenly felt very small and very self conscience.

"Uh," I waved to the crowd, "Hi everyone. My talent isn't really—well—I used to spend an unbelievable amount of time patrolling the halls of Hogwarts with the Head Boy and we—well promise not to tell Albus Dumbeldore—"

A few people laughed, I became a little more encouraged.

"I uh, _we_ started messing around and we developed this thing we called trick flying—"

I took what little bravery I had and made the broom float carelessly at my side. The stadium was silent. I wished James were here so it could be like when we'd just play and have fun on the field—forgetting out duties back in the castle.

I realized I'd been standing too long and I slipped off my shoes, having my toes free was for easy gripping of the broomstick. I jumped, closing my eyes and feeling relief as I felt myself balance on the levitating broom. There was a whisper of interest across the crowd. I bent my knees and opened my eyes, remembering a cool sring day where James and I had spent hours on the practice field.

The broom started rising higher, climbing. I was reminding of the swings when I was a child, and I balanced on the broom, raising myself as high as I felt comfortable. The stadium was silent, as I'm sure I looked mad. It was relative knowledge you were supposed to sit on a broomstick, not stand on it. Of course, I wasn't normal. I felt the determined knot in my stomach as I stopped the broom, staring at the ground which had to be twenty feet or so below me.

I dived, people screamed.

The wind rushed against my face as it all came back to me. I flipped, the air rushing through my mouth as I shouted _accio_ and the broom zoomed into my hand with just enough time for me to mount it and not crash into the grass. There was an uproar in the stands and I was breathing like I'd just run a mile, but I was grinning. I'd forgot what an absolute rush that was.

I remembered the handstand and decided to try it. Setting the broom on a straight path across the pitch I flipped up onto my hands, earning another shout from the crowd.

The air swirled around me like it was bending and shifting to my whim. I felt on top of the world, James would've called it a quidditch high but I wasn't playing quidditch. I was just playing.

Landing back on my seat, I turned the broom so it wouldn't crash into the stands. I saw people cheering spectacularly. I had to do one last thing, just to see if I could.

I raced to the ground, dismounting, my feet racing across the grass with the broom zooming alongside me. Then I jumped with the broom in hand, preforming a barrel roll so close to the ground I felt my bun skin the grass.

Grinning like a fool I landed back at the stage and the crowd was deafening. It was the first time I'd ever done trick flying in front of anyone and I hadn't died. I wished I could see James' face.

"Anyways," I laughed out loud to the still cheering crowd, "We'd do trick flying—and please remember to not tell Dumbeldore. He _might_ revoke mine and James' titles."

The crowds laughed and clapped for me as I followed the stage back to the tents where all the other girls were waiting. I assumed to be surrounding by the girls, congratulating me but instead I was met by the grim expression of Madame Princeton. As soon as I touched the cloth folds of the tent the head of the pageant grabbed me on the arm. James' broomstick, dropped to the floor in my surprise. I was dragged away from it despite my protests.

"Come with me Miss Evans." She yanked my arm and I was unable to even hear the shrieks from Ava who had come running up to congratulate me.

I saw Ava grab the broomstick as I rounded the corner, but I was unable to yell to her to give it back to me. That was James' broom. I had to keep it safe.

I yanked my arm from Madame Princeton's gasp and rubbed where her long nails had dug into my skin, "Excuse me." I snapped, stopping in the middle of the tent hallway, "But I would like an explanation for just getting ripped away from my fellow contestants."

That's when James appeared behind Madame Princeton and he had an expression on his face I hadn't seen in ages. In fact, I hadn't seen the look since our Hogwarts days when we'd be bullied for my blood status. My heart faltered. James' hair was standing on end and I wondered how many times he'd run his fingers through it. Madame Princeton pointed at the tent door to our left.

James walked up to my side, his hand touching my back lightly, sending shivers up my spine.

"In my office. Now." Princeton ordered us.

James whispered urgently into my ear, "Is it true that girl called you a— did she—was it about—you know what?"

I looked up at James with a sad expression, not expecting this to be his face when he saw me after that amazing trick flying. He looked beside himself and I couldn't help shrugging hopelessly. I was used to being publically humiliated by purebloods using terms that were less than politically correct.

When I didn't deny it his fingers dug into my back a bit more and I heard him exhale loudly. When I glanced at his face his jaw was clenched tight, anger radiating on his face. James slung a protective arm around my shoulders as we entered a second tent where a desk and chairs were set up. I saw a red haired girl sitting with a woman in a tight black business suit.

"Michelle!" I said breathily, leaving James' side instantly, relief flooding through me at the sight of the pretty witch.

Michelle's head was bent in despair and I saw tears leaving her cheeks and hitting her pretty Victorian style dress. She was this way because she had been standing up for me. At my call of her name, Michelle swung her head up in surprise.

Even though her eyes were puffy, a smile escaped, "Lily!"

We hugged and Michelle was apologizing over and over again to me. She had her hands on my face, tears slipping even faster from her eyes. I tried to calm her down but it was to no avail.

"Sit down, Evans." Madame Princeton's voice shot through the tent.

Michelle and I looked at Princeton, who glared at us with every bit of dislike as ever. I clasped my hands with Michelle's in defiance. Princeton stood up straighter and the woman in the black business suit stood up and took Michelle's hands from mine. James stood by the tent flaps, looking greatly disturbed.

"Brancheau." Princeton said as Michelle struggled to stop crying, "You are going back to the states _immediately_, hereby banned from the pageant."

"No, no please!" Michelle seemed to regret ever standing up for me and I knew it had to be her pride sinking in.

Michelle screamed as the woman in the business suit dragged her from the tent. I tried to race after Michelle, to thank her for her for everything but Madame Princeton's voice cut through the air like a thick knife.

"Evans, don't you dare leave this tent."

Anger coursing through me I spun on Madame Princeton, fury flowing off my entire being.

"She was _just_ protecting me!" I shouted, James' hand rested on my shoulder, as if to hold me back from attacking the woman.

Madame Princeton looked like she wanted to hear nothing from me. She fell into her seat and pointed to two chairs in front of an old wooden desk. James grabbed my shoulder and forced me to sit down, sending me a warning glance when I sat down. I opened my mouth, about to defend Michelle Brancheau again when Stanely Yucco entered the room looking absolutely exasperated. For once, we both shared the same facial expressions.

"The Henwitch family has said they are willing to overlook the incident if their daughter has a guaranteed spot in the top five."

Madame Princeton and I both groaned but for clearly different reasons.

"Fine." Madame Princeton waved her hands as if trying to blow everything away, "I didn't need this today."

Yucco nodded and backed out of the room, likely to go back to the Talent Show. I stared at her in horror. She didn't need this?

"It wouldn't have happened if one of your girls hadn't been absolutely revolting to me! She sits there pretending to be a bloody lady when she's clearly the farthest thing from one!" I snapped at Madame Princeton, "Michelle was just angry—Henwitch called me a—a—"

My words sputtered as I remembered Henwitch's biting words. I slapped my hands on my thighs, looking to James for help but he was too busy keeping his mouth shut enough for the both of us. Why wasn't he speaking? I saw the muscles in his jaw moving, he was clearly angry.

Was it because I'd left his broomstick someplace? I shouldn't have let Madame Princeton drag me away. I hopped Ava had kept ahold of his broom. I bit my lip in worry and glanced back at Princeton.

Madame Princeton cleared her throat, "Mr. Potter may I have some alone time with Miss Evans?"

I shook my head quickly to James but he just put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, "I'll be right outside."

I was left alone with the devil. I wasn't about to let her start speaking before I got my fill in either.

"Look," I said as soon as James left, "I don't want to cause a scene but Henwitch is the farthest thing from a Witch Wonder, honestly she's more like a Bitch Wonder. I can't believe your letting her _bribe_ her way up to the top five girls…"

Madame Princeton came around her desk and rested her head over my chair. Her lips were right next to my ear. I leaned away from her sweet smelling perfume and wrinkled my nose in distaste at her glare.

"I've been fighting all my life against _your_ type." I furrowed my brow, "The ones who think we're a bunch of pureblood airheads. You know whom I mean. Feminists...intellectuals..._even_ muggleborns."

"You let muggleborns into your pageant and just kicked one of them out!" I snapped furiously, standing up and spinning on the pageant director.

Princeton brushed her hair back, "I let your kind into my pageant and I can take your kind back out. I made this pageant what it was, I make these girls what they are." Princeston came around the chair and I backed away from her threatening gaze, "I am the reason the pureblood society still thrives. Just look at your mate, Mr. Potter."

I hit her desk and grasped the sides of it as I stared at her in surprise of James' name. Princeton smirked at my attentiveness, like she knew about our history and us.

"He was a _product_ of my scholarship. Did you know that? I practically handed his mum to his dad on a silver platter. I take pureblood and half-blood girls and make them into princess' fit for a pureblood king. I made it so your friend Michelle Brancheau could enter the competition and _she_ just got _herself_ kicked out. Girls like you and Michelle weren't bred for this life-"

"Michelle only ever wanted this! She got kicked out because of one of your perfect purebloods!" I argued, trying not to think about the obvious rub in my face that James belonged here and I did not, "let her compete again! Or I'll—"

Madame Princeton lowered her voice, I was backed up against her desk with nowhere to run, "I have dedicated my entire life to this scholarship pageant. You get in my way, I will kill you. Do you understand?" Madame Princeton had her voce lowered so much it rasped.

"Yeah." I stared at her in horror, and hoped to Merlin someone had heard her say this to me but we were alone and all I could hear was the sound of her even breathing.

"Your lucky this pageant is fixed for you." Madame Princeton leaned back up and straightened her tall witches hat, "See you at preliminaries Miss Evans."

I swallowed and wondered where James had gotten too but when I left the office tent…he wasn't standing right outside like he'd promised. Feeling alone I struggled to compose myself and went back to the competitor tent where I curled up in my chair at my vanity and stared at my reflection in the mirror. James wasn't speaking to me, Madame Princeton was threatening me, and I'd lost a friend today because of the word that always brought me back to square one.

I couldn't wait to be done this pageant.

**~~~hope is a four letter word~~~**

"Your interview accounts for about 60 percent of your final score." Charlene was speaking to me but I was busy stabbing my fork into my pasta, imagining each little piece as Madame Princeton's face, "Are you even paying attention to me?"

"What's the big deal?"

We were at dinner alone in the dining hall. Charlene was supposed to be coaching me but I was unable to focus. I could only think about how downhill everything had gone in a matter of hours.

"It's fixed; I'm in the Top Five. Congratulations to me." I muttered, still stabbing my pasta.

"Is that enough? Have you no pride in _yourself_, in your presentation?" Charlene questioned, yanking my fork away from me.

I looked up at Charlene in a crazy fit of emotion, "I'm an _auror_, Diggory," I snapped the lie, "Not one of your _perfect_ purebloods prancing about in heels." I slouched back in my chair and crossed my arms gruffly.

"You're also a person!" Charlene raised her chin in an act of dominance, "and you're an incomplete one at that! In place of friends and relationships you have your wit and a wand."

"I have friends." I muttered, "Who do you _think_ is doing this mission with me?"

"Your _coworkers_." Charlene placed my fork down on the table roughly, "You _never_ mention friends from school. You act like you'd rather be a part of your coworkers lives than making a life of your own!"

I felt my face reddening at the suggestion that I had no friends. I had plenty of mates back at Hogwarts but they'd all gotten married, gotten jobs, or stopped talking to me. My stomach rolled at the single thought of James this morning at the talent portion of the pageant. He'd been seething and now he wasn't even talking to me. Charlene seemed to take my silence as acknowledgement that she was right and tried to start talking again in a softer voice about my dress for the interview portion. I wasn't about to let her get the last word in.

"You have _no_ idea why I am the way that I am!" I stood up out of my chair, pushing the bowl of pasta away from me in anger, "You have _no_ idea!"

"Well while we're going through the interview portion," Charlene said loudly over my groan of frustration, "Why _are_ you the way that you are?"

I stared at her in shock. Why was I this way? Because for my entire life I'd been held back, first by my sister, then by the very world I'd used as an escape from my problems at home. I didn't expect Charlene to understand. Ever since I stepped foot into the magical world I'd been taunted because my entire family couldn't preform magic, except for me. I didn't expect Charlene to understand that I grew up poor and the only money I had to my name was the small allowance my parents had left me.

Charlene had grown up in this world of ball gowns, pretty girls, and pureblood mania. I had grown up with holy shirts, scraped knees, and small picnics at the park.

I held back tears, "none of your _damn business_."

"Oh the judges will love that one." Charlene stood up, her chair scraping across the tiles of the floor, "_stop_ moaning. We have more to do."

Those words only made the tears come faster. I was done here; I was done with Diggory and Princeton. I was done trying to be perfect for this mission. Maybe Moody was right and I was too sensitive about my bloodline to be an Auror.

"No." I said, pulling out my wand from its holster. I pointed it at Diggory and she stopped, hands up in defense. I was struggling to keep myself from actually crying in front of this woman, "I'm done."

I heard the door to the dining room open and Sirius announced, "Evans we need to—"

He paused when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him. Instantly he rushed forward to likely try and sort the argument out but I pushed past him, running in my heels. I ran down to the elevator and when the doors didn't open automatically, I rushed for the stairs. I opened the door, expecting it to be empty but instead I rammed head first into someone I certainly didn't want to see.

"Lil?"

He never called me Lil, not ever, only when he was concerned. His voice. It just made my knees go weak and I collapsed into a crying heap. He had his arms wrapped tightly around me, trying to keep me from falling to the floor.

"I'm _quitting_." I shouted into his shirt, "I don't care!"

James lifted my chin and I struggled to wipe my eyes and then remembered I was wearing a mask of make-up and I probably resembled a raccoon now.

James looked around, noticing we weren't fully inside the stairwell. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, he put a finger to his lips and pointed to a half-ajar door to our right. He pulled me over to it, bringing us into what looked to be an office for a hotel manager. James shut the door behind us and we slide to the floor, our backs against the door. I was trying to stop crying, and James had a comforting arm around my shoulder, his other hand wiping my red hair away from my face.

"You've got the wrong girl." I told him, hiccupping, "Moody is right, I'm not good enough to be an Auror."

James wiped tears from my cheeks, shaking his head, "No, no, Lily you—"

"James," I pleaded with my voice, touching his arm, "if these girl are going to be rubbing my bloodline in my face the entire time I can't promise I won't get into more trouble!" I saw his hazel eyes fraught with a storm of emotions as I cried into his arms, "For the last three days I've felt lost, out of place, and I can't keep up the act that I don't care much longer!"

"You know one of the reasons I'm so excited to work with you-" he muttered, "is because you care _so_ much."

I shook my head, "Moody only let me do this because I look good in a dress and wasn't on maternity leave."

James frowned, brushing my hair from my face, smiling softly, "No." he chuckled, "That's why Sirius picked you. Moody picked you because Frank Longbottom told him you smart, funny, and easy to talk to when you aren't armed. Moody wanted to give you a chance to show him you'd be perfect for the Aurors…"

I sniffled and looked at James, "Do you think I'm good enough? I mean you already get to do this and—"

James suddenly let go of me, crossed his arms, and looked upset, "Yeah." He sighed, "You'll be a perfect Auror."

I wiped my eyes, "You don't want me to be an Auror?" I accused at his tone.

James glanced sideways at me, his look positively distraught, "Of course I do." He ruffled his hair, "I just don't want to be an Auror."

"Who do you—" I began but James quickly but me off.

"Cut Charlene some slack." James said. He was fingering the edge of his shirt, "If you give her a chance to see the Lily that I know…she'll love you."

I didn't dare move. In the darkness of the office my sense were heightened and James was so close I could've leaned my head into his shoulder comfortably. He sighed, leaning away from me. I took a breath.

"I am sorry about the girls harassing you—if I had heard anything—" James coughed nervously, "You _know_ I'm not like them, right?"

I bit my lip but put my head on his shoulder finally, "Do you remember Severus Snape?" At James' stiffening I knew he did, "He tried to apologize one night for down at the lake, when I stopped you from bullying him in fifth year. We were best friends and he still used that—word." I thought of Madame Princeton's obvious smack at my relationship with James.

I remembered her saying James belonged in this world and I didn't. At every corner James and I were tested on our friendship and I knew that would continue if I continued this path of becoming an Auror since whatever James worked as—was the equivalent of an Auror. I just hoped he'd always support me and not stray towards the world Madame Princeton was so sure he'd fall into like his parents.

James' parents had wanted everything for him. They wanted him to marry a nice girl, settle down, and play quidditch. At one point that's what I thought James wanted too. James had told me he looked like his dad once. I stared at his rich hazel eyes in the dark, noticing that they seemed forlorn.

"I would never—" James tried telling me but I interjected him, my head away from him.

"James I _know_ you aren't like Severus—not even a bit like these girls—you hate—but you are _still_—" I struggled to express why I was upset, but it was hard, and James was quickly taking it the wrong way.

James huffed, his irritation clearly present now, "Still what?" his voice raised a bit higher than normal.

I tilted my head, and shrugged nonchalant, trying to not let him get angry.

"You told me yourself your parents wanted you marrying a nice respectable pureblood girl. And judging from what I've seen the last few days I think your future wife—whatever pureblood name she comes from—wouldn't agree with your friendship with me."

I should've thought before speaking. James looked furious at me. He jumped u and stared down at me, sputtering.

"_You_—Lily—_I don't even know what to say to you right now_." He ran his fingers through his messy black hair, making it untamable. I jumped up too, teetering on my heels, putting my hands on my hips and glaring to make him know I didn't want to start fighting. My looks didn't work.

James pushed past me rather roughly and he wrenched the door open. Light flooded our secret office.

"Goodnight."

I stared after him with the feeling like my chest was caving in. I'd made him even madder at me. I hadn't even gotten to ask him if he got his broomstick back. I tried to find him later but Sirius told me to let James be.

"I think he's mad at me." I told Sirius through the crack in their door, "Tell him I'm sorry and I got his broomstick—"

Sirius chuckled and shook his head at me, "Just let it be, Evans." He told me, "Let it be."

I couldn't let it be. I didn't sleep at all that night because I worried about everything. I worried about Michelle. I worried about James. I even felt guilty for yelling at Charlene Diggory. I just wanted to catch the guy we were after and go home. I struggled to cry silently, so that Gi couldn't hear.

I didn't want her or anyone else's pity.

* * *

**Next time: **"When I want to know something from James I get him trashed off firewhisky and he normally spills all his secrets."

* * *

Thanks to everyone for their continued support! What'd you think of trick flying? I took the idea from trick riding.

all my love!


	8. Brokenhearted Beauty

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

**_Woah two chapters at once?! You lot are spoiled. _**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Oh no, no don't leave me alone lonely now**

**If you loved me how'd you never learn**

**Ooh, coloured crimson in my eyes**

**One or two could free my mind**

**so tell me when it kicks in**

**I'm brokenhearted**

"Those better be candy dishes!" I stated crossly to Charlene who'd been on edge with me since the night before.

I'd been thrown into a two-piece bathing suit for the next portion of the competition. My sash was omitted from this portion, as the goal was to clearly have as much skin showing as possible. I sucked in my stomach as Charlene came towards me holding two nude colored plastic gel things. I felt miserable, lonely, and the only bright part of my morning had been Ava's smiles.

I rubbed my eyes, smudging my make-up. Charlene made a motion to shout at me for messing up her make up but then she stopped when she saw my puffy eyes. For a moment I saw a shadow flicker across her face. It disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Turn around." She told me and I did so, facing the mirror, where she inserted the gels into the top of my bathing suit giving the impression that I actually had breasts.

In a desperate attempt to make Charlene smile I said, "Guess it's time to apply to the local night clubs, yeah?"

Charlene passed me a tube of something white with no comment. I stared at it in interest, "Hemorrhoid ointment? You think the judges will look that closely?"

"It's for the baggies under your eyes." Charlene said, pointing to my red, puffy, and darkened eyes.

"Really?" I said, dabbing some under my eyes, that's when I saw her pull out a tall can of hairspray, "Good, hair spray. Finally something I recognize." Then she sprayed it on the bottom half of my suit and I squealed as the cold spray touched my skin, "What are you doing Charlene?"

"It stops the suit from riding up." Charlene shrugged, placing the can on my vanity.

Just then Henwitch walked by wearing a pretty pink one piece that was only cut out on the back for a giant bow. I pointed at it in inexplicable anger.

"Why does Henswitch get to wear a one-piece and I have to wear this?!" I asked Charlene as Henwitch grinned from her vanity.

I ignored a snarky comment from Henwitch and started pulling on the top of my swimsuit, trying to cover up more.

"Why do you make things hard?" Charlene muttered as she brushed my hair back once more and checked my face for any make-up malfunctions.

The girls started lining up in order. A man called for me to go quickly, I'd be on stage soon, showing off my body to the entire wizarding world. Charlene frowned at me in the mirror.

"I can see this is an incredibly embarrassing situation for you." I frowned at Charlene, pointing to my pale midriff, "I'm going to blind someone."

Charlene rolled her eyes and pushed me towards the tent opening. We were back in the quidditch pitch we'd used for the talent competition. I could see the giant screen that would be projecting me to the entire universe sparking from my spot in the tent.

"If you can do this, then you can convince anyone that you belong here." Charlene brought back feelings from last night with that comment and I suddenly felt even more out of place as Charlene lined me up with the other girls. The tent led out to the stage where Stanley Yucco was explaining things to the crowd.

"The swimsuit preliminary accounts for 30% of the total score...and tests the grace, athleticism and poise of each lovely woman."

Charlene pulled my red hair over to one side of my head and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"The last time I was naked in public, I was born." I whispered in horror as girls with bodies of supermodels lined up around me, "I have avoided this experience all my life."

I leaned against Charlene's pushing to the line, trying to avoid the stage at all costs. Some of the girls around me were rolling their eyes.

"And here it is." Charlene grinned, finally smiling "Think of something funny so you don't forget to smile."

Stanely Yucco was calling girls by name. I heard mine suddenly, sooner than I thought, and I wanted to run but Charlene pushed me out onto the stage.

It was the weirdest sensation. When doing my talent portion I had been strangely not too aware of the audience but now I was aware of every single pair of eyes on me. I forced a smile on my face and waved as I stepped onto the block I was brought to. I made a few poses I thought wouldn't make me look too ugly and I giggled when someone in the crowd cat-called. Finally I was led off stage and I was in a daze as Charlene grabbed me.

"Good Evans." She told me, "Now, interview time."

Charlene pulled a gorgeous gown with black fabric that had little rhinestones, which mimicked the stars. I wondered if Sirius had nicked this from his cousin's closet too but I found it fit me perfectly. On stage the first girls were going through the interview and I heard a lot of girls talking about world peace…I wondered how many of them _actually_ wanted that.

When it was my turn on stage I went out in a daze and sat down next to Yucco who grinned wide at me. I could see right through his fake smile, he still hated me for the Michelle issue yesterday.

"Miss Hogwarts!" he grinned wide, "Your talent act was wonderful. Trick Flying! Who knew!"

"Thanks" I answered, staring out into the audience but unable to see anything but dark shapes because of the lighting directed at my face.

"Tell me what was your favorite subject at Hogwarts?" Yucco asked, touching my hand.

I brushed a strand of hair our of my eyes and said loudly, "Charms."

"Well you are very charming."

I snorted and then remembered I was supposed to be acting pleasantly so I smiled at Yucco. The audience cheered because apparently Yucco's joke was wonderfully charming. I wanted to charm the smile right off his stupid face.

"What is the one most important thing our society needs?" Yucco asked as I smoothed the wrinkles on the pretty gown.

I perked up, finally a question that was interesting to me, "That would probably have to be better social rights for muggleborns and their families." I stared directly at Yucco who smiled sweetly, sickening sweet that is.

Silence. I was just aware of the kind of comment I made that not only was a largely political comment but also something not widely agreed upon in a pageant overrun by purebloods. I was a muggleborn and a war was brewing to make my kind lowest of the low in the wizarding world. There was a war brewing to kill us all—and I had pointedly just placed myself in a tight position. What would have been a normal answer?

I sputtered out quickly, "And, world peace. Of course."

The audience cheered and Yucco thanked me, pointing to the stage end where I quickly exited the stage. I pulled the dress up, glancing around to see toher contestants were staring at me with worried looks. Charlene looked irked when I made my way back to my vanity.

"That was charming." She murmured, tugging at the zipper on my dress, "You just invited purists to your front door for tea..."

She sounded angry and that surprised me. I didn't expect Charlene to speak out about politics, especially purist politics. I had thought she was a purist by the way she spoke when we first met but perhaps, I had been wrong and Charlene was a pureblood like James. I stared at Charlene, fingering the necklace I had on thoughtfully.

Perhaps James had been upset last night because I had generalized him into all the purebloods. Charlene was proof that there were many different types.

Charlene ignored my staring, as she fluffed my hair. Ava touched my shoulder as she passed us to go on stage. I followed to stay in the wings to watch her give her interview. The crowd was eating her entire performance up because she was such a sweetheart. Not to far away I saw Henwitch watching Ava with daemon eyes before she marched away, arms crossed. I had no doubt she was scheming to get Ava in trouble. Someone touched my shoulder and I turned to see Peter.

"Hey." I whispered to the small boy, "What are you doing back here?"

"We got a lead." Peter whispered back, "Photos. From our background checks against the girls in the pageant."

"And?"

Peter passed me a newspaper dated a while back from the Salam Times. It was a picture of Ava, holding a sign and protesting something but it was hard to make out. I brought the paper closer to my face but it was too dark to really see her sign. Sirius appeared, Charlene at his heels telling the leather clad wizard he shouldn't be here. When she spotted me talking to Peter she dropped her argument soundly.

"Avanthi, she's been involved with members of a radical magical creatures rights group involved in some extremist exploits."

Sirius whispered next, "We got nothing but good marks on Henwitch—despite her obvious distaste for muggleborns."

"It's got to be Avanthi." Peter looked out to the girl on stage with care.

"It's always the quiet ones." Charlene spoke behind Peter and I sent her a 'not helping' look.

Peter flicked to another picture of Ava from her school and I bit my lip, "She fits the profile: loner, introverted."

I shook my head and pointed to the stage, "That Ava is the one you're trying to frame, Peter."

We all looked to the stage where Ava was in the middle of her interview. She was dressed in a gorgeous orange dress with lace sleeves that flowed out around her wrists. With a small crown around her forehead she looked like a princess and once again I was struck with the idea that she needed to win the competition.

"Describe your perfect date." Yucco asked Ava.

"That's a tough one." Ava laughed cheerily, "I'd have to say April 25th...because it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket."

"Now, there is a hardened criminal." I said cynically, sending a pointed glare to Sirius who was grinning at Ava's answer.

"Maybe she's an accomplice." Peter maintained, "Maybe she's his inside connection. That's what you gotta find out."

"How?" I laughed, thinking the entire idea preposterous, "I've never met anyone sweeter than Ava."

The girl was terrified of fire for one and for another I'd never heard her say a bad word about anyone in this pageant, not even Henwitch.

"Girl talk." Peter suggested.

"When I want to know something from James I get him wasted on firehwisky and he normally spills all his secrets." Sirius suggested with a smirk, "it's how I got him to admit he fancied you."

"I can't do this." I mumbled in discomfort, "Ava wouldn't do this."

"You want her to girl talk?" Charlene seemed disturbed at the mere idea; "She can hardly talk without getting herself into trouble. Did you hear her blasting the new Ministry orders?"

"She's never been one for keeping politics out of her life." Sirius said with a mocking grin in my direction.

"She had plenty of girls who were friends at Hogwarts." Peter reasoned for me, "Right, Lily?"

"Yeah, girl talk." I muttered but inside I was wondering how to get Ava to spill any accomplice plans to blow the entire pageant to bits, "Sorry, I'm totally drawing a blank."

"Leg waxing, fake orgasms, the inability of men to commit." Sirius started ticking things off on his left hand.

I grinned, "Prefect." I said, pushing Sirius' shoulder gratefully, "Why don't _you_ talk to her?"

Peter shook his head, "Just do it Lily."

Ava came off stage and didn't even glance our way even though we were all staring at her. I saw she looked upset as she made her way back to the contestant tent. I wondered why she was upset, the crowd clearly adored her.

"Okay, forget about it. I will go." I said, reaching up to unpin my two-way mirror from my sash and handing it to Peter.

"Put that back" Peter tried giving it back, "James'll murder me if he finds out you took that thing off."

"I can't girl talk with a guy watching me." I muttered, pushing past the boys and Charlene.

How would I even start out the conversation with Ava.

I ended up stopping by a bakery and picking up a cake piled high with frosted flowers. Then I stopped at the local liquor mart and picked up a bottle of wine. I ended up bringing both items back with me to the part of the hotel where girls were relaxing and taking in the after-effects of a long day competing against one another. I spotted Ava sitting by the hot tub, her legs curled up to her chest, clearly miserable. I walked farther into the spa room, carrying the cake past all the other beauty queens. The girls turned their heads to follow me like I carried a golden goblet of the finest wine in the world.

"Ava, how are you doing?" I asked loudly, capturing her attention.

Ava just curled up even more, "How can you ask that? You heard my interview. I sounded like a lunatic."

I chuckled and slipped onto my knees beside her, "Oh, no, it definitely wasn't lunatic. Why don't you have a midnight snack with me and some..." I paused "…girl talk."

I placed the cake down in front of us and opened the bottle of wine. Ava stared at the large frosted rose in the middle of the cake.

"Are you crazy?!" Henwitch snapped from where she was reading a magazine, "We can't have cake and wine!"

"I think I can have whatever I want, thanks Hen-bitch." I snapped and I saw the witch jump at bit at my touchy tone.

I licked a bit of frosting off my fingertips and grinned at Ava, staring at the cake.

"Do you know how many calories you're talking about?" Taylor said from where she was working out, "Evans, you'll _die_ from sugar intake."

"It's white wine and she's gonna throw it up anyway." I said, reaching out with my hand and just picking up a piece of the cake in my hands, showing it to everyone around me now, "Come on. No?" the girls just stared at me as I lifted the cake to my lips, "All right, I'll just sit here. You guys go back on your spa treatments and I'll sit here with my _very well iced cake_." I licked the icing off my piece earning moans from the girls around me.

"Oh, look at all that icing." Ava said with a trembling lip, reaching out to grab a piece as well.

"Avanthi _don't_." Henwitch warned her, coming to sit beside Ava in worry but I saw her greedy eyes, "At least scrape off the icing."

I grinned at Ava as she scooped up a cake, "First step, cake." I sang lightly, "Second step, flaming batons..."

Ava put a piece of cake in her mouth and it was like the other girls turned into animals, taking cake and wine and shoving into their mouths. I always said these girls were starved, and their actions only proved it.

"I guess we'll be needing more cake." I muttered, looking for an attendant to ask them to go run to the store for me.

I managed to get every single girl in that room down to a local pub. The pub was celebrating some sort of holiday surrounding chocolate and there was chocolate was everywhere, along with alcohol. Us girls were being handed all sorts of things and I was careful to check anything placed in my hands by a grinning pub-mate. I checked Ava's hands as well.

The band played muggle songs that I hadn't heard in years but I sang them as the girls around me danced along with me. Boys flocked around us and some tried to grab me but I noticed that all of us girls were sticking around for each other, keeping together, like friends. For a moment, dancing in a thick crowd of girls, I felt like maybe these purebloods and I weren't so different after all.

Ava was throwing back one more shot, laughing as Gi made faces at her across the table. Gi's thick hair was braided so high atop her head that the beads she was getting showered with were stuck in her braids.

"This is so weird!" Ava screamed over the music, "This is my third drink and I don't feel a thing!"

Gi laughed then got up to go dancing again, leaving me alone _finally_ with Ava. The witch was grinning like she had won the pageant and her hazel eyes were sparkling vividly.

"This is _so_ much fun." Ava grinned at me, grabbing my hand lovingly.

"Yeah, it's fun." I agreed, smiling at the grin Ava was presenting to the pub—like she was on top of the world, how could Peter think she was a convict? I decide to make my move. "It's so fun it should be illegal. Speaking of illegal, have you ever, like, committed a crime?"

Ava, so far gone from her drinks, nodded quickly without even thinking, "Yes! Yes, I did."

I was stunned.

"Go on." I egged her, fear developing in my stomach.

Ava pushed her long hair back, "One time I got arrested for breaking into a magical creatures shop and trying to steal a kitten." She shamefully put a hand on her head, "I got caught and was _so_ embarrassed."

I put a hand to my head, relief flooding my stomach. Peter was wrong—Ava was the farthest from dangerous.

Ava popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth, "I've never told anyone that before."

"So is that it?" I grinned, taking up some chocolate for myself.

"Yeah." Ava smiled, "Come on let's go dance! I want more beads!"

And then, Ava's leaned over to grab her drink—and fell asleep. I immeaditly smiled and knew it was time to leave. Luckily, Henwitch and Gi reappeared, along with two other girls from the competition whose names I hadn't figured out.

"We should go!" I shouted at them over the loud music.

"I'll get Taylor." Henwitch yelled back over the noise, "We'll all meet in the girls restroom."

But Henwitch didn't have to leave because Taylor appeared wearing a bunch of black and orange beads she'd won for dancing on the table of the bar. When Taylor saw Ava's status on the table she laughed and took off her beads, throwing them around Ava's head in a halo. I was surprised when it was Henwitch helping me carry Ava out. Once we were out in the chill of the street Gi appeared with a grin and a lfex of her arm muscle.

"I can carry her." Gi reached for Ava.

Henwitch and I handed Ava over to the tall witch greatfully. Gi didn't even look intimidated at Ava's weight.

"She's completely trashed." I told Gi who slung Ava up over her shoulder easily, like Ava was a sack of flour.

"We should get her back before Madame Princeton finds out." A blonde French girl said anxiously.

"Ugh, Princeton's got a wand up her ass about something." Henwitch said as we made out way out of the pub and started walking back to our hotel, "I don't think she _ever_ got over those rumors."

"Come again?" I'd never heard Henwitch speak ill about Princeton, but with a few drinks in her, Henwitch was clearly ready to spill her guts about anyone and everyone.

It didn't surprise me of course; Henwitch wasn't exactly the nicest girl at the pageant. She was clearly the most popular at the bar though; I noted she had so many beads around her neck she had to start wearing some around her wrists.

"Her pageant years she was a runner-up." Taylor explained to me as Gi walked ahead with Ava on her shoulder.

"But then the winner mysteriously got food poisoning." Henwitch made a pointed face like she was doubtful of the food poisoning, "Stanley told me Madame got a letter a few weeks back from the Magical Games Coordinators...and they're firing her too!"

I gaped at Henwitch in revelation, "what?"

Henwitch chortled at me and nodded her head; "She threw a chair out the window!"

I had to get back to the hotel because now more than ever, I suspected Madame Princeton more than anyone else in the entire world. After Princeton's threats to me I wished I had something on her—and now I did!

When I got Ava back to her room and Gi was snoring from her bed, I snuck out from my room and headed right to the boys room on the top floor of the hotel. I raced up the flight of steps, not even bothering to take the elevator. Their door was closed and I braced myself for the anger from James for taking off my mirror pin.

I expected to find the boys in bed but they were all awake. I spotted Frank Longbottom, the last person I expected in the room. Frank was talking to Sirius and Remus. Peter was first to spot me and the sandy haired wizard pointed to the window where James was speaking to someone with his or her back turned to me. James finally spotted me hanging out in the doorway awkwardly and I saw his face falter remorsefully.

"Lily." I saw his lips form my name, ever so softly.

The person he was talking too turned at James' distraction and I stood up trimmer. Glancing down and see my clothes were less than appropriate. I'd been wearing a dress Gi had let me borrow for the pub and it was short and tight. The beads round my neck were now shamefully displaced across my chest to the floor. Moody and James looked shocked at my appearance.

"I have a lead and it's not Ava." I said quickly, wishing I had changed.

The other wizards in the room quieted. I didn't recognize half of them.

"Forget it Evans." James said apparent frustration in his tone.

Sirius spoke up by Longbottom who was staring at me with an incredulous look, "They got the Citizen."

"What?" I was stunned at this information, "Where?"

I glanced around at all the people in the room, looking for answers. I had been so sure Madame Princeton was actually the woman we should've been watching. I pushed back my hair, which had fallen into my face, and struggled to hide how short my borrowed dress was.

Moody snarled irritably, "He was holding up in a shack in Wales."

My head swung to look at Frank, "Place had enough muggle bomb artifacts to make Wales a bloody island." The Auror confirmed.

"I'm done here Evans." Moody said, limping towards me, I looked at his foot and noticed it was hurt.

He'd obviously been in a fight with dark wizards recently. I noticed most of the people in the room looked like they had just come from a rather large fight. Frank Longbottom even had a large cut on the side of his head that was still bleeding. Why hadn't they gone to the Hospital before coming here?

I didn't care who they grabbed in Wales; I had a feeling deep in my soul that we needed to stay. I didn't trust Princeton as far as I could throw her—especially not after what I learned tonight from the other girls.

"Sir, I need to talk to you. One second of your time." I begged Moody as the people I didn't know started leaving the room.

My eyes glanced at James who was pulling a rucksack onto his back, head down. Why wasn't he speaking up? Was he still angry with me? I noticed Sirius had a large bag and saw some of the clothes I'd been borrowing sticking out of it. They were abandoning this pageant. Panic set in.

"I feel the situation bears further scrutiny and our continued presence." I looked to the boys who I thought had been my mates, but they were carefully avoiding my eyes.

"Are you drunk from your little adventure tonight Evans?" Moody retorted, "We caught the guy!"

"I respect you've come to care for these girls, Lily, but things have changed." Remus told me, his tone asking me to drop the conversation.

"...but what if we were wrong?" I explored, my voice rushing "What if the Citizen didn't send those letters? What if it was a copycat? The letter didn't follow the normal pattern. The linguistic scheme was uncharacteristic…I think we have reason to monitor Princeton."

"Why don't you pour candle wax on her head? Or suggest she offer more rights for muggleborns?!" Moody shouted, I'd never heard Moody shout and it made me flinch. Tears formed in my eyes, "You're the _reason_ I had to drag myself here...considering Princeton herself had to personally call me to tell me my agents were causing trouble and you aren't even an Auror yet!"

I felt my heart breaking at his words because I knew I wasn't an Auror, I knew I didn't have a right to stay, but I felt deep in my bones that my friends, these girls, were in danger.

I pleaded, "But Princeton's getting_ fired t_his year, which she didn't tell us. When she was in the pageant, the only reason she won was because the winner got food poisoning. How weird is that?"

"Lily," James warned me as my voice raised, but I ignored him.

"She _threatened_ me." I told Moody who was turning redder in the face with my every word, "According to Aly Henwitch, she has a history of violence."

"Who is Aly Henwitch?" Moody growled, his knobby fingers pointed at my chest, "Are you getting your information from a pajama party?" he spun on Sirius who looked less than thrilled about the situation he's found himself in. I saw Sirius exchange a glance with James, almost like he was apologizing to James.

"Black, is there any reason to suspect Princeton?" Moody barked.

"No, sir." Sirius looked regretfully in my direction.

"Please let me stay with these boys at least." I begged Moody, guesting to the boys who I thought would be there for me every step of the way, "_Please_."

"Denied."

"Then I request permission to stay alone." I begged, blocking Moody from leaving the room.

Moody sized me up. James was shaking his head at me, eyes wide. Peter had a hand over his mouth ad glanced sideways at Remus who picked up a small suitcase awkwardly. I stood my ground, my loyalty to these girls sinking into my soul.

"You know what, I don't care what you do. You want to stay, stay! But these boys don't report to me and they have strict orders that they're needed elsewhere..."

Moody left quickly, slamming the door behind him, yelling all the while about how the boys better get a move on and quickly. I spun on Sirius before he could even speak. I stared at him in horror. James sat down on the bed, head in his hands. I crossed my arms at the buckskin attired Sirius.

"What?" Sirius asked incredulously but I saw he looked uncomfortable.

James stood up, our eyes met and I shook my head slowly at him, my attitude clearly crestfallen. James gazed dreadfully at me, like I was a dark wizard he didn't want to face. I was angry, frustrated, and brokenhearted.

"Don't look at me like I betrayed you." James whispered.

"Betrayal implies action." I snapped, "You just _stood_ there." my voice broke, betraying my sadness.

"We have other orders now." Peter spoke up, "Sorry, Evans."

"Whom exactly do you work for?" I shouted at the four boys and instantly they looked uncomfortable, "If you don't work for Moody who do you work for? What has all this been?"

Remus spoke calmly, "We're sort of like an outcropping of the Auror Force."

"We have to follow orders Lily, peoples lives depend on it." James muttered, looking brokenhearted "If we had a lead on Princeton then maybe I—"

I felt tears in my eyes, "I know everyone _thinks_ I don't often know what I'm doing but I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time. James since when have you followed orders?!"

"There is nothing I can do Lily." James was red in the ears now, "The party is over and we all have to get back to doing our jobs."

"I _have_ to protect my friends." I breathed, clasping my hands together, "That's _my_ job."

"Just two days before you were crying that those girls were out for your blood!" James said angrily, stepping forward only to have Sirius pull him back, "You didn't even want to be here with purebloods, remember? What changed?"

I twisted my fingers into fists, "Nothing changed!" I shouted at him, "I just know Princeton's going to do something to these girls!"

"Evans we aren't a part of this anymore." Sirius reminded me, "Our job is to follow orders."

I snapped, "I enver knew you to be for following orders either."

"We aren't in Hogwarts anymore." Sirius answered, narrowing his eyes, "Even I know when to follow the rules Evans."

"Give it a rest." Remus muttered, putting a hand on my shoulder and then walking to the door, "come on, we have to be back at headquarters for the meeting."

The boys started leaving and James was last in the room, looking completely torn apart. Our eyes met and I was fully crying. I knew he was about to say goodbye. I knew his face because it's the face I had months ago when I lied and told him I was going to America.

"James," I whispered, "You know I wouldn't make stuff like this up."

"Lily," he moaned, brushing his fingers through his hair, grabbing the rots and pulling in frustration, "I'm sorry but this is—out of my hands."

"Please." I said, clasping my hands together and coming to stand under his gaze, "James, I know what I said—_I know you're mad at me_—but I swear this is too bizarre and coincidental. I _think_ Princeton literally wants payback for getting fired from the pageant. As Aurors we should—"

"That's just the thing Lily." James whispered looking at me pathetically, "We're _not_ Aurors."

Frustrated, I shouted at him, "What are you then! You swore to me you hated the Ministry and now you work for them? What the Hell is that?"

"Don't go shouting at me!" James snapped back, "You were the one who lied to me. You didn't even give me a proper goodbye!"

I stomped my foot, "I wanted to make a difference and _you_ wanted to play Quidditch like your mum and dad told you to do!"

James' eyes shadowed over, "Don't." he hissed and towered over me angrily, "You have no right to mock my choices when you blatantly went to join the very Government that's overrun with wizards who want your kind dead!"

"My kind." I sneered coldly.

James wrenched the door open, "don't give me that look." He said at my cold hard stare, "You had no problem labeling me…and that's all you've been able to do since the day we met."

"_label you?_" I snorted the words indifferently.

"That's right!" James answered heatedly, "I fancied you something awful Evans, and you walked away from something special because you thought I thought I was too good for you."

"I didn't think that!" I spat venomously, "I thought you were brilliant! I wanted to have everything with you James Potter!" his hand had fallen from the door handle, hazel eyes echoing disbelief, "but you wanted to be the perfect gentleman for your parents. You wanted to play quiditch and have a nice little family!"

"And what made you think I didn't want you to be a part of that life." His voice was strong, only inches away from me, "What made you think I didn't fancy living that perfect life alongside of you?"

I was choking on my tears, remembering my heartbreak, "You said your parents wanted you to marry a respectable pureblood!"

"Of course they did!" James laughed; his laugh sounded disheartened, "I'm the last of my bloodline! But what the Hell made you think I'd drop the prettiest, smartest, funniest girl at Hogwarts for a girl like—like—_Henwitch_?!"

"I didn't want that nice little family!" I answered, looking up at him through my tears, "I wanted to join the Aurors and fight the people who wouldn't let _us_ be together! I wanted to change the world and you thought we could have it all without the fighting!"

"I _never_ thought that." James hissed, "Ever."

"Then why aren't you fighting with me now?" I glared up at him, "Why won't you fight those very people with me right now?"

James took my shoulder roughly, "Because I have different orders! I have to follow my orders—you wouldn't understand," he looked torn again, "Please, Evans, these girls are safe. Just leave this place, go to America. Somewhere. You aren't safe _here_ anymore!" He looked completely twisted and his glasses were falling from his nose.

I ripped myself from his grasp incredulously, "Go to America? Leave? Can you promise me these girls will be safe?!" I grabbed my beads from the floor and threw them at him. _Stupid_, James Potter, standing there shaking his head at me, "I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to stay and fight for what I believe in!"

"Evans!" he shouted down the hall after me, "_Lily_!"

I blocked back tears as I watched the sun rise from the windows in the stairwell as I made my way down the stairs alone.

* * *

**next time:**

"Thank you." I breathed, trying to not cry again, "You didn't have to help me."

"We can't have you making us look bad in front of all those people." Henwitch said saucily.

Ava touched my elbow; "You would've done the same for us."

* * *

leave a review, yeah? Thanks everyone!


	9. Miss Witch Wonder

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

* * *

** Chapter 9:**

**"I'm about to rock your world" he said**

**and then God made girls.**

I wiped the tears from my eyes, going right to Charlene's room. She was staying a floor under the boys, where all the other stylists were staying. I started knocking on her door, trying to not let my voice crack. I forced a fake smile onto my face.

"Time to beautify me. Hair, makeup, shellac, whatever it is you do. That shiny stuff—"

Charlene opened her door and I immediately noted that she had her witches hat and cloak on. She was going somewhere.

The one little smile I had left disappeared from my face. "Where are you going?"

Charlene opened the door wider and I saw she has a suitcase on her small bed, "Your Agent Moody insists that I depart, or I won't be compensated."

Alarm ensued and I grabbed Charlene's arm in dismay, "No, please don't leave. After the top ten I am completely on my own Charlene. The other agents left me and it's not fixed anymore. I need you!"

Charlene shook her head and put a hand on my cheek, as tears started appearing in my eyes again, "Not anymore, the cocoon is open. I've taken a caterpillar and helped transform her into a beautiful butterfly."

She let go of my cheeks and I stood there hopelessly, tears streaming down my face. I felt like someone had kicked my in the gut. I was losing everyone I had come to trust in the past week. Charlene started closing her suitcase and I just stood there, holding onto a strand of my hair like it was the only tether keeping me standing.

"Come on," I begged Charlene, "_please_."

Charlene paused, leaning over her bag, her head bent. I watched as she slowly tucked back her white curls and observed me with a kind face. A small smile filtered across her wrinkled face. Charlene put both her hands on my shoulders and said delicately, "I've never been prouder of myself or of any girl I have ever coached. You are truly unique, Lily. If I ever had a daughter, I imagine that she would be...something like you."

I sobbed openly, flinging my arms around the witch. I buried my head in her neck.

"Yes I think she would be _exactly_ like you…which is probably why I never reproduced." Charlene grinned, hugging me back tightly as I let a choke of a laugh escape my lips.

"I have a really strong feeling something will happen to these girls." I whispered into her ear, "You need to stay for them. _Please_."

Charlene pulled back, shaking her head, "I can't." She turned back to her suitcase and grabbed a box from behind it, "But I can leave you this. I was saving it for tonight. It's your size, I wore it at my own pageant and with a few alterations I made sure that you'd look like a princess."

I clutched the box to my chest, tears pouring down my face.

"Good luck to you, Lily. It's been a privilege." Charlene closed the door behind me and I let the sob escape.

How was I going to do this alone?

I entered the competition tent, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes. I couldn't figure out how I was going to make sure I was in the top ten because I knew Madame Princeton had it out for me. I had a feeling she would be disappointed to learn I hadn't run away with the fellow 'Aurors' and I use that word in my head with sarcasm. I didn't want to be escorted from the premises and I knew the moment I was voted from the competition Madame Princeton would have me thrown to the wolves. I had to stay in this competition.

Girls were rushing around the tent shouting at their beauticians and their friends. Everyone was getting ready for the opening ceremonies and each girl was dressed in a dress representing her school. I had no such dress and my heart faltered. I was going to lose. I didn't even have a dress to wear onto the stage as Sirius had taken all the costumes.

"Has anyone seen Lily?" I heard Ava call around from the back where our vanities were located next to each other, "I can't _believe_ she missed dress rehearsal this morning."

"Maybe she couldn't take the pressure." I heard Henwitch say, "She is not—_what happened to you?!_"

Henwitch had spotted me inching my way twords my vanity. I saw some make-up left on it from the talent show and thought at least I could make myself up a little bit before going on stage in the dress I'd borrowed from Gi, looking like Hell. Ava dropped her hairbrush; she was in such shock at my appearance. Henwitch obviously saw I was in no state to be picked apart because for the first time in her life—the witch was tongue-tied.

"I overslept." I whispered, falling into my vanity seat and pulling some of the leftover makeup towards my body.

The mirror showed the circles under my eyes and the blotchy redness of my cheeks from crying. I hoped no one actually knew I'd been crying…or was about to cry again. I saw all the girls exchange a look.

"Do you need help?" Gi asked me from her vanity where she was done and ready, dressed in her gorgeous orange and green opening ceremonies outfit.

"No, I'm fine." I answered casually, looking for the mascara, "I wonder which one of these..." I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice level, "…is mascara."

Gi stood up from her table her brush in hand. Henwitch had grabbed my shoulder with her eyes flashing with a look at the other girls surrounding us. Ava had a hand covering her bright red mouth as if she couldn't believe the words that had come from my mouth.

Henwitch called for a group gathering quickly, "Someone!"

And then suddenly, it was like I was back at the offices getting a make-over with Charlene Diggory three days ago, except I was surrounded by the girls I was supposed to be competing against. here were my competitors making sure I looked presentable for the pageant. It was almost enough to make me cry again but I didn't want to mess us Henwitch's perfect make-up job or move and have Lopes burn my scalp as she fashioned my hair into pretty ringlets.

Ava searched through the hundreds of dress racks and found a pretty maroon dress for the opening ceremonies and then helped me into my sash that bore the Hogwarts crest. Taylor even helped make sure the lipstick Henwitch picked was a lovely shade of red.

When they'd finished they stood around me, admiring their work and I hugged each of them.

"Thank you." I breathed, trying to not cry again, "You didn't have to help me."

"We can't have you making us look bad in front of all those people." Henwitch said saucily.

Ava touched my elbow; "You would've done the same for us."

"Let's go!" Taylor begged, "It's time to line up!"

We were filed through the tents to the area where the competition was being held. All I knew was that the finale was being held on stage at some theater that we girls had been transported too one by one by transport wizards. It was large and held thousands of guests that were dressed in fancy dress robes. I could see them through the curtains as we were lined up in order of school. .

Yucco was on stage more or less shouting the national anthem, instead of singing it. I momentarily wondered if the man was getting fired because of his singing skills, instead of his personality. A stagehand pushed us along the long red curtains that his us from everyone, and I felt like I was being tunneled through a maze.

"Good luck, ladies!" he whispered, "Keep it moving. Let's go! Find your places!"

"You're next to me Hogwarts!" Taylor called from downstage.

On the other side of the curtain I heard clapping and Yucco had finished singing. I hold tight to my sash, fingering the Hogwarts crest, more specifically the lion on the crest. It was time to be braver than I ever dared.

Yucco's voice was amplified magically around the entire room, "It's the 57th Annual Miss Witch Wonder Pageant live from Edinburgh, Scotland!"

The crowd cheers so loudly it's almost deafening and I feel my heart stop. I fell into place beside Taylor and she's pushing up her curls as a last quick prep. I stare at the bright red curtains going over all the dance steps I'd learned two days ago. I looked for any signs of danger but currently all I saw was Taylor on my left and the girl representing Spain on my right. Around me the girls were muttering in soft tones to each other as Yucco finished his announcing.

"Hello everyone and welcome to a night of beauty, talent and poise…and no I'm not just talking about my wonderful cohost...Madame Princeton!"

Apparently Princeton walked up on stage because the cheers increased. The curtain was blocking my view from observing anything. I wished even more for friends to help and felt a lump in my throat at the thought of James again. I swallowed the lump and let the pain roll to the back of my mind—I had to focus.

"Why Yucco you forgot to mention the 80 lovely ladies standing behind the curtains," Madame Princeton's voice was also magically amplified.

The curtain rose and I forced a smile onto my face as music overtook the room and we girls started dancing like 80 perfectly trained monkeys at the zoo. Each row of girls was raised a little bit higher than the other row, in order to show each of us off. I was second row to the front; I twirled and twisted while trying to gather any information about the area around me.

Our stage was a giant circle, with three runway type platforms that stretched with two going backstage and one right into the audience. Madame Princeton and Yucco were currently on the platform that led into the audience. Behind us girls was a giant globe that glittered and sparkled with thousands of crystals. The crystals were red, blue, and green. The red jewels represented each school on the globe and the little rosy jewels were mixed into the array of greens that represented the land. The globe turned, making the blue water crystals shimmer like real water.

The dancing music stopped and I stopped moving. I was breathing deeply and smiling to my left, as instructed by the woman who choreographed the opening number. I saw Taylor shaking in front of my line of sight, she was so nervous. I knew how much all these girls wanted the title and today I didn't care who won—as long as everyone escaped the pageant in one piece.

"That was a wonderful dance ladies." Madame Princeton said over the cheering of the crowd, "Now Yucco help me by announcing the Top 10 contestants chosen to go on through to the next round! These Top Ten choices were made by our judges."

A spotlight shone into the front of the audience towards the right of the stage. Three judges sat there and I craned my neck to see if I knew any of them. I secretly prayed I had a chance to make it to the top ten. With

"From Witch Weekly, Amanda Hedgecomb!" A woman in blue robes waved to the crowd.

"Representing the Hogwarts school board, Andrew Poumpon!" A man I'd seen once, when James had been awarded special services to the school, stood and waved to the audience before retaking his seat.

"And the third and final judge, The Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold!"

I craned my head in interest as our Minister of magic stood up to greet the crowd, wearing a set of professor's robes from Hogwarts. She was a older woman—but not nearly as old as Charlene Diggory. I was surprised to see the Minister here; as I had been under the impression the rising war was keeping her preoccupied.

"All of the girls are dying to get their hands on the crown!" Yucco said suddenly, forcing me to focus my attention back on the things happening around me. Yucco laughed, "Oh yes, our top ten contestants were chosen based on their performance during the preliminaries this week. The judges have been watching them closely in each competition, rating them generously."

I watched a stagehand bring Madame Princeton a golden envelope, "Thank you, dear."

I fixed the maroon dress that I was in, as it was a bit big around the chest. The stagehand ran back into the curtains.

Madame Princeton turned back to look at us, "Ladies, hold your breath."

Beside me, Taylor sucked in a deep breath. Ahead of me, on the first platform, I saw Ava's shoulders periodically moving up, like she was breathing deeply. I looked around the stage and saw people watching off in the wings but no one suspicious struck my fancy. I tucked one of my red ringlets behind my ears and sucked on my lower lip while methodically estimating what I should be looking for.

All the girls around me were worried about their spot in the Top Ten except Henwitch and I. I noticed Henwitch was just smiling perfectly, staring out at the crowd lovingly. We both had spots in the Top Ten premade for us—or at least I hoped my spot was still there. I stole a glace at the judges once more and desperately hoped two of them had a soul and picked me despite my lacking title.

I knew Madame Princeton had to be planning something because her threats to me certainly hadn't been empty. I knew Yucco and her both had this against the pageant and I knew deep down, they were going to do unfixable damage if I didn't stop them.

"Anna Dale representing the Poggle School of Magic!"

A girl I'd only seen in passing started moving people in order to get downstage. She was waving her thanks to the crowd that cheered for her and her freckled cheeks and blonde hair looked adorable in the lights. I imagine she got voted for based on her childish looks.

"Lei Young from Beijing Sorcery!"

A small woman with short dark hair stepped off the front row platform and walked down stage, holding her pale face high with pride.

"Aly Henwitch of Los Roques Magical Arts!"

I let myself clap for Henwitch who smugly took her place beside the other two girls at center stage. Princeton continued calling girls and I tried to pinpoint exactly what Princeton was beaming about. I didn't trust the witch—I just wish I knew what she was up to as she hugged another woman who they called.

"Lily Evans of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

I smiled and stepped through the front two rows of girls, passing Ava and touching her shoulder lightly. Ava smiled at me but I saw complete terror in her eyes. I knew how badly she wanted this. I felt relieved that I'd gotten into the Top Ten. I didn't know if my spot just hadn't been given up or if the judges actually liked me. I figured I'd find out once we reached the Top Five as Madame Princeton sent me a malicious look as I took a spot beside Aly Henwitch.

I crossed my fingers, praying for Ava or Gi to be called last for the Top Ten.

Yucco drew out the last name with flair, "And last but not least, Avanthi Portsky! Representing Salem's Academy of Magic!"

I turned and clapped, my smile wide as Ava came walking over, crying and wiping away her tears with grace like a true beauty queen. I hugged her and we stood side by side, holding each others hands tightly. She thought I was being friendly but I was really just afraid to let go. Ava was grinning ecstatically into the crowd, unknowing of the danger surrounding us.

"And there they are!" Madame Princeton christened us, "This years Top Ten finalists. We'll be right back with tonight's Swimsuit Competition."

Top Ten contestants were ushered off to the same area of backstage we'd come from. The seventy-one girls eliminated were filed along to the other side of the giant stage where I heard shouting and crying from more than one devastated witch. Ava let go of my hand once we were backstage because her stylist drew her away, talking urgently into her ear.

I stayed back by my vanity; staring into the mirror and wishing Charlene were here. I found a swimsuit from one of the other eliminated girls and was thankful to see it was a one piece. I started changing immediately, even thought I had no one to do my hair and make-up this time. I decided to just keep my hair down. Charlene would've murdered me; she said she liked girls to put their hair up in the swimsuit competition to "show off their lovely necks".

Around me the other Top Ten were changing into suits or fixing their make-up since they'd been crying. I saw my wand laying on the vanity and I wished I had somewhere to put it but with just a bathing suit on I was gonna have to leave it in the dressing room.

I'd take out Princeton with my fists alone if I had too.

I reached behind the mirror for the one thing I'd remembered to bring. I was something that I'd asked Charlene to pick up for me from the store a while back. I called Ava over and she happily bounced my way on her tall heels, being adorable in a retro looking swimsuit. Her black hair was tired up in an elegant fashion and her hazel eyes were sparking with happiness at being on the Top Ten bandwagon.

"Good job!" She squealed, adjusting my hair over my shoulder and brushing her thumb against my lower eyelid to fix a smudge in my make-up.

I grinned and pulled my hands from behind my back, "I got you something."

Ava's eyes left my face and looked at the bright silver batons in my hands. Charlene had loved the idea of giving Ava this gift and had clearly spared no expense. I wished Charlene could've been here to see Ava's face light up with happiness.

"I couldn't—" she muttered, but her hands spoke a different story as they stroked the batons.

"You got drunk, you stole kittens from a menagerie! You're a wild child." I teased, hugging my new friend and shoving the batons into her fingertips, "You deserve this chance to feel special Ava."

Ava put the batons on her dressing room table and then hugged me about one million times more as we lined up for the swimsuit portion. Once again I paraded around stage half naked but this time, I did it without worrying about all the faces staring at me. I was too busy staring at one face in particular. Madame Princeton was clapping her hands on the side of the stage where the judge's tables had been set up. The judges were closer now and I met the eye of each of them as I paraded past.

I saw no sign of Yucco or his bright purple robes any longer. He had disappeared along with the platforms we'd been standing on, dancing. The stage was wide open for the suimsuit competition and with talent next, I wondered how the stage would change.

And that's when my heart started racing…my talent!

We got off stage and I got ready to do my talent—or lack of talent since I was broom-less. I changed into the maroon dress Ava had found me. Ava was reading the directions on the batons as I tried to think of some other talent I could preform. I asked them to switch me to the last talent spot. I hoped I could figure out something to do—and quickly. The other girls did their talents flawlessly and then Ava went out and started her baton dance.

I was watching from the shadows, knowing I needed something to do to impress those judges. I needed to get into the Top Five for I'd lose my right to be behind the scenes. I started fingers my hair nervously. Someone tapped my shoulder and I turned bluntly on my heel. Then I covered my mouth in shock. It was Charlene, tears in the old woman's eyes.

"Charlene?" I whispered in wonder, hugging the older woman who instantly started fussing about how my hair should be up and I was an idiot.

I wasn't paying attention to her though because someone had been hiding behind her, and he was carrying a bouquet of gorgeous red roses looking ashamed. I considered James who kicked the stage floor nervously when I didn't say anything. I was so lost, what was he doing here? First I felt anger at him daring to even show his face but I knew it was just annoyance at his behavior. I was definitely relieved to see him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked James.

"I think you might have been right." James said, glancing up to catch my eye and handing me my roses as Charlene pulled me into a corner and started stripping me into my bra and underwear in front of James to fix my dress, which I'd evidently put on backwards.

James, luckily, managed to keep his eyes on my face, "Charlene told me Yucco is Princeton's husband." My grip on the flowers intensified.

"Yucco." I hissed as Charlene re-zipped my dress and played with my hair to make it curl a bit more, "What?"

"I ran a criminal history check on Stanely Princeton after Charlene mentioned they'd been married and he has been listed under assault, illegal trading, and even a weapons charge." James nodded solemnly then grinned, "You wanna know the best part?"

"What?" I asked, pushing Charlene from trying to apply another shade of lipstick over my current red.

"_Princeton's_ the squib."

My jaw dropped, "What?!"

"She faked her way through Hogwarts and only her parents knew she was a squib." James hissed as a stagehand walked past, "Evidently her family refuses to acknowledge it."

"How did you find all this out?" I asked as clapping sounded for the end of Ava's performance.

James pointed at Charlene who stood proudly, "I could tell you stories about these pageant societies that would make your skin crawl." She said, dusting my cheeks with some powder.

"Charlene!" I grinned and hugged her, kissing her cheek, "_You're wonderful._"

Charlene smiled and patted my shoulder lovingly.

I turned to James, "are we doing a full mission?" I looked around for more agents but saw no one I knew.

"Moody didn't want to hear about it." James sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Sirius and the others would've come but I told you—we had another mission. Sirius if covering for me until we figure out what's going on here.

"It's just us and you've go to make it into the top five." Charlene crossed her arms and glanced sideways at James, "We think you have a fair shot. Two of the judges are muggleborn sympathizers."

On signal a stagehand yelled, "You're up next, Hogwarts!"

I panicked and grabbed James by his tie, "I need a better talent then last time…" I hit him with the flowers he'd given me, "I don't have a broom and I don't think it'll fly this time around. Literally." I pointed to the dress I was in—not flying material.

"Can you sing?" Charlene asked.

"No!"

"Make hand puppets?" james asked

"No!" I tugged my lower lip with my teeth, panicking.

"I had a girl who rearranged furniture." Charlene muttered to herself.

I shook my head desperately, "Charlene, you said yourself that all I have is my wit and my wand!" I pressed and hand to my forehead.

James snorted in amusement, "That's true."

I felt like sticking my wand up his arse for his sarca—an idea hit me like an oncoming train.

"Hogwart's you're up!"

"Wait…" I grinned, and James looked concerned at my bright look, he probably had every right to be, "Go get my wand off my vanity James and bring it this way! Go!"

I didn't let him question me; I pushed the roses back into his hands as I was dragged by the stagehand to the stage entrance. Charlene was biting her fingernails, following me and glancing back at James who had raced off.

"And now, for the expert flyer…Miss Lily Evans." Madame Princeton seemed to mock my name but I walked out on the stage with my head held high and a wicked smile in her direction.

I turned to the crowd and found my voice projected magically across the stage, "Good evening everyone. I know the program says I'm supposed to do trick flying but with lack of a broomstick and flight room…I've decided on something a bit different."

There was whispering and I didn't even know if what I was doing was okay. I saw Princeton taring at me with a look that could probably kill. I glanced back at the stage and I saw James in the wings. He had my wand and his own in his left hand as he waited for a signal from me.

This was going to make the judges remember me.

I clasped my hands at my back and grinned, walking upstage.

"I believe one of the best classes I ever took was Defense Against the Dark Arts." I supposed, "And in these darkening times I find it penultimate to know how to defend yourself even with the simplest of spells. Your spells don't have to be _deadly_ to stop your attacker." I glanced to the wings and opened up a wide, welcoming gesture, "So in order to show you this, I'm going to need a little help. I would like to bring out my assistant, James…"

James walked out on stage looking nervous, fingers running through his hair. His already messy hair was sticking up on his head so much a bird probably could've landed in it and built a nest. I grinned at him warmly; so happy he was here to help me. I saw the Minister of Magic give us a look of interest as James passed me my wand. James pulled out his own wand and pointed it at me, a little glare fro the lights on his glasses making his hazel eyes disappear.

I spoke again, pointing my own wand at him, "In some cases, your attacker might come at you in a frontal assault."

James pulled a wicked grin, sending a hex flying in my direction and a few people in the audience gasped. I dodged it and send my own little charm his way. James was flipped upside down on his ankle and before he could shout a spell to knock me off my feet, I lightly stepped forward and waved my wand to the left.

"_Balatus_." I grinned, and James started bleating like a lamb.

The audience burst into laughter and James' face turned into his competitive face he normally got in Quidditch. I raised my eyebrows at him in a challenge. We used to love dueling against each other—but James was known for his more brash approach. Using his and he dropped himself to the floor and rolled, sending a nonverbal spell my way. I jumped but it hit my foot, molding my shoe to the floor. I tugged at it and sent the git a look. He was grinning, but since he was still bleating like a lamb I couldn't take him seriously.

I pointed my wand at my foot; freeing myself and putting up a shield charm as James sent another hex my way.

"_Conjunctivitus._" I said, swinging my wand arm up in an arc.

James truly went blind, despite his glasses and I reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling his wand from his hand. He frowned and stood up, arms out stretched, looking for me and shouting my name as I danced out of his reach.

"A temporary blinding hex," I explained to the laughing crowd and walking over to James and tapping on his shoulder, "Allowing you to come up to your attacker and possibly take his or her wand."

James frowned at me as I slapped his face a bit and then undid the hex, allowing him sight again. He rubbed his eyes with effort, trying to get them adjusted back to seeing again. He looked positively pissed off at me. He _hated_ being beat in duels.

"All right." I grinned, facing away from James, "Let's say your assailant comes at you from behind. You can't see him, right?"

The audience nodded and a few people shouted "Yes".

I waited, expecting him to grab me from behind…but nothing happened. I turned and saw he was standing far off to the separate side of the stage with a grin. The audience below us chuckled as I raised my arm in question. James just stared at me; he was trying to catch me off guard. Every single muscle in my wand arm was tense as I waited for him to raise his own wand arm.

James raised his wand and I raised mine at the same time, blocking whatever he sent my way with a shield charm and whipping my wand at him again to flip him upside down but it was like we were back in class together. James anticipated my next move and sent a stinging hex my way, which sent me crashing to the stage in pain.

Luckily, he faltered when he saw me land which allowed me to send a dancing charm his way. The charm hit him dead on and he got a stupid look on his face and I giggled as he started twisting his legs in a weird dance created by the spell. He was doing a pirouette across the stage like a ballerina. I wished Sirius were here watching this because he probably would've enjoyed the sight of James dancing down a stage more enjoyable than me.

"She's kicking his arse!" I heard someone in the audience say and I grinned.

I jumped up off the floor, waved my wand to disarm him, and then undid the dancing spell. James fell to the floor, glaring up at me as I walked over and helped him up.

"I _let_ you win." He assured me.

"Sure you did."

And the audience laughed and laughed, but James was looking behind me. I glanced around and saw Yucco and Princeton switch places. They were up to something. Yucco walked up to James and I, shook our hands, and pointed us to take our leave. James and I bowed and quickly made our way off stage and Yucco announced that the judges were counting the scores now.

"Very soon, we'll find out who those lucky Final Five competing for the crown are!"

"Let's go find Princeton." I told James, "I'll go to the other side of the stage and you—"

Charlene appeared, pulling me back towards the dressing room, "Oh no, Evans. Into your final gown now!"

"I don't have a final gown!" I said touchily, "We need to find Princeton!"

Charlene shook her head, "I gave you that box with my dress, what did you do with it?"

Charlene had a firm grip and I couldn't knock her out because I'd just started to make her like me. James told me to go change and he'd try to get to the bottom of what Princeton and Yucco were planning.

Charlene stripped me and pulled a gorgeous navy blue dress from the box she had given me. For a moment, the urgency of the situation left as she pulled the halter-top over my head and tried it just behind my neck. The v-neck front was encrusted with glittering diamonds and the navy blue fabric hugged every curve. Charlene smiled when she was I had to wipe my eyes to capture tears that were falling. She squeezed my hand gratefully.

Without any second to spare I was rushed back out onto the stage with the final ten ladies.

"In one moment five of you..." Princeton announced as someone offered her an envelope with names inside, "…will be one step closer to the crown."

It was over, and I knew it. I'd never make it to the Top Five—the entire thing had to be rigged for me to even get into the beauty pageant. My dueling with James had probably been entertaining but most of these girls weren't here to become Aurors and fight bad guys—they were here to find a respectable husband and win money to continue their education.

"And one of those five...is..._Aly Henwitch of Los Roques Magical Arts!_"

Henwitch was dressed in a gorgeous red number that was tight all the way down to her ankles, where it fanned out prettily. She was crying as she stayed put in her spot, beaming with happiness.

"Aly's favorite subject is History of Magic. She believes in the maintenance of using arithmancy in schools and loves to visit the Mayan temples in her spare time..."

"Next is, _Avanthi Portsky with Salem Academy!_ Ava's favorite subject at school is Potions and loves dancing and hanging out with her cat, Harry."

Ava was glowing with pride and wearing a gorgeous set of dress robes covered in purple crystals. I leaned over one of the girls to look into the wings. James was standing there watching, I could see him whenever the lights moved over that way. All of a sudden his face lightened and he was clapping hard, whistling loudly. I tilted my head at him in confusion and he pointed at me. Ava tugged on my arm.

"Lily it's you!"

"What?!"

They'd called my name; the other girls were clapping and smiling at me. I'd made it to the Top Five!

Me.

Muggleborn, troublemaker, farthest thing from flawless…_me_! I looked back into the wings and saw James giving me thumbs up, beaming so incredibly proudly. Charlene was next to him, bouncing up and down clapping her hands. I saw them hug and James plant a kiss on Charlene's cheek.

"...and taking long, luxurious bubble baths."

I somehow, someway, made the Top Five. Henwitch pushed at me, waking me up from my dream-like state, and I that's when I realized the calls were over. They had their Top Five.

"Thank you, ladies. You were magnificent." Princeton announced as the girls whose names hadn't been called, left the stage in tears.

Immediately, we were sat down near the back of the stage by the globe. It was time for interviews again. After each girl finished her interview, she went backstage. Princeton was conducting the interviews whilst Yucco was nowhere to be found. I fidgeted in my seat, trying to see Yucco but he had vanished offstage.

Ava finished her interview flawlessly and I was next.

"Miss Hogwarts," I sat up straighter, "As you may know, there are many who consider...the Miss Witch Wonder pageant to be outdated and very anti-muggleborn. What would you say to them?"

I could practically hear Charlene moaning backstage but I could do this, I could answer this question _honestly_ now.

"I would have to say, I used to be one of them." Silence from all around the stage, "And then I came here...and I realized that...these women are smart, beautiful, and _wonderful_ people...who are just trying to make a difference in the world."

I glanced to the wings of the stage and saw Ava and even Henwitch grinning at me with brilliant smiles. Three days before I didn't even think I'd find a friend out of any of these girls. I'd thought they were all stuck up purebloods and halfbloods. I'd labeled them just as they'd labeled me. The labels had to stop. I blew them both a kiss from my seat and they both returned my love.

"We've become really good friends. I know we all secretly hope the other one will trip and fall on her face but these women have given me some faith in the world again. For me, this experience has been one of the most rewarding...and most liberating experiences of my life."

I could've ended it there, Charlene was probably _crying_ my answer was so perfect, but I was determined to make sure that Madame Princeton didn't leave this stage without any warning. I As I passed Princeton, heading back to the wings where my friends waited for me I hissed quickly, "And if anyone...tries to hurt one of my new friends... I will take them out. I would make them suffer so much; they'd wish they were never born. And if they ran, I would _hunt them down._"

Princeton's eye twitched and there was a silence in the audience. I didn't care if the audience heard me. I meant every word. Charlene, however, found my lack of tact annoying as I entered the backstage area.

"A brief, shining moment, and then that mouth." Charlene snapped, "Can't you ever just leave it be?"

"She wouldn't be Lily if she wasn't a little bit terrifying." James answered, giving me a smile and rubbing my back tenderly.

I would go to ask James if he'd seen anything odd when I heard Henwitch say in anger, "Where did it go I wanted to rub the crown for luck?!"

The previous queen, who would pass on the crown, simply smiled at Henwitch apologetically, "Yucco took it to get it polished but he should bring it back any second for me to bring to the winner!"

_Oh my god._

I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

I grabbed James' arm, "James! It's the crown!"

Charlene looked thrilled "Yes, it is Lily! You can taste it now—"

"No, no, no!" I said, quickly, "Not the- This in the—"

"_Finale positions!_" A stage manager yelled and Charlene pulled me towards the stage, away from James who looked confused.

"Yes." Chalene never looked more delighted, "Wear the crown. Be the crown. You are the crown."

"No," I yelled as Charlene pushed me in front of Ava.

I was panicking as I was forced to follow my fellow contestants back to the stage for the end of the pageant. I tried mouthing "the Crown" to James but he was just shaking his head, arms up in confusion. My wand was on my vanity. I was throwing my head around, trying to spot the crown.

"And now, the moment of truth and beauty." Madame Princeton had this look on her face, one I couldn't comprehend, "The envelope, please."

"What?!" I saw James mouth at me as I tried to get the idea across to him but then all of a sudden James spotted something on the stage behind me. His eyes got wide and his wand came out of it's pocket quickly. I turned, trying to gage what he'd seen. It was my turn to ask what but when I looked back to the wings of the stage—he'd disappeared and I saw Charlene yelling after someone.

"The fourth runner-up is..."

I couldn't hear entirely what Princeton was saying because I was so focused on the flashing lights on the side of the wing where James had disappeared. Someone was fighting someone else with magic.

The only thing I was thankful for was knowing Princeton was a squib—she was unable to do magic. I could at least attack her without having to worry too much. The only problem as that I was wandless which thereby meant I was also without magic. I had a feeling the crown was a bomb—Princeton and Yucco could've rigged it—and I had a feeling if we didn't destroy the crown something bad would happen.

Beside me, Ava gripped my arm and I looked down at her in worry because if the crown was the weapon, one of these girls, one of my friends, was dead.

"The third runner-up is Aly Henwitch!"

Aly accepted her flowers but looked put out that she hadn't won. I didn't dare mention now that she was lucky. I didn't even dare _move_ because Madame Princeton was watching me with eyes like a hawk; she had a sly grin on her face. It was like she knew I had guessed her plan—and had figured out a way to thwart me.

Princeton called the second runner up and realization dawned on my face—_it was just Ava and I left for the crown_.

I grabbed Ava's hand tightly. She wasn't breathing. The crowd was encouraging and a bead of sweat dripped down my forehead as I realized it had all come down to this—Princeton had done this purposely I just knew it.

I heard a crash come from behind us but the cheering was so loud no one else heard the shouting behind us ladies. I thought I heard James' voice and I glanced back towards the wings where Charlene had been standing but she and James were missing from their posts. I hoped they were both okay.

"This is it." Princeton lifted the seal of the final envelope with the name inside but I already knew what Princeton had planned. Blowing me up with the crown would've been satisfactory but I could tell from Princeton's smirk at me she was going to take down Ava. Princeton knew the only way to get to me was through my friends.

"One of these two ladies will wear the crown."

Ava was sobbing, her eyes closed against the view of the audience who were all clapping. I heard people chanting "Hogwarts" and I wished I could smile but I was letting my eyes wander, looking for where James had disappeared too. At no sign of him, I knew that no matter what I had to make sure that crown did _not_ touch Ava's head.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if the sweetest girl I'd ever known was murdered when I had a chance to save her.

"The first runner-up who will have to take the winner's place if, for any reason she cannot fulfill her duties is: Lily Evans of Hogwarts!" Ava broke down into my arms and I watched Princeton's smile only widen when she saw me staring out helplessly out to the crowd, "Which means our new Miss Witch Wonder is Avanthi Portsky!"

Ava was sobbing as I held onto her tightly. The previous queen was walking onto stage with a giant crown that sparkled and shimmered in the light.

"Don't take the crown." I whispered frantically into Ava's ear, "Don't take the crown. Trust me."

Ava looked at me confused, "Wha—"

I was ripped from Ava's grip. Ava was smiling and crying, basking in what should've been her moment of glory. My wand was on my vanity back in the tent so I did the only thing I could…I punched whoever was trying to tear me away from Ava. The previous queen was reaching towards Ava to place the sparkling crown on Ava's head.

"_Someone get Hogwarts off the stage!" _I heard someone shout and another set of hands wrapped around me.

"What are you doing?!" Henwitch yelled at me from where she stood, ever the supportive beauty queen to Ava who now had the crown placed upon her head.

Panicking, I bit down hard on the hand holding me back and whomever had ahold of me let me go. Ava started her walk up the runway and I commenced running towards her. I had to get the crown off her head.

Then suddenly the audience gasped. I saw fingers pointed behind me so I glanced back as I ran to Ava and found James, wrestling on the floor with Yucco like a muggle. Knowing James was safer than Ava at this point, I continued running to the Queen. Ava was waving to the crowd and beaming, unaware of the fight happening behind her.

I tried grabbing the crown but a hand stopped me, it was Henwitch, shouting at me to get a grip. Finally, after days of wanting to punch her, I finally reached up and thrust my hand into her face. Henwitch fell back off the runway into the audience and I grabbed the crown off of Ava's head.

"Lily!" I heard someone scream at me and I turned as Ava started hitting me with her red rose bouquet.

James was pointing to Princeton who had something in her hands and she made a motion with it. In a last second frenzy, I threw the crown towards the globe at the back of the stage.

The crown blew up in midair and hit the giant globe that exploded overtop of James, Yucco, and Princeton. I saw Ava teetering at my side and then she fell towards me. I caught her in midair, breathing as the entire stage caught on fire.

That's when I saw Princeton climbing out from under the globe, sputtering. Laying Ava on the runway I ran back up the catwalk and slid across the floor, pushing Princeton down to the floor with force before she could stand up.

"Get off me!" She bellowed at me, "Y_ou got nothing on me mudblood!_"

"Shut up." I said, straddling the former beauty queen and shoving her face into the ground, "I can't believe you just tried to blow up the sweetest girl at this pageant."

"It should've been _you_," Princeton growled against my hand holding her face into the ground, "You think you saved something. All you did was to destroy the dream of young women all over the country."

"You think their dream was to get blown up?!" I shouted at her, "you got a good shot at that insanity plea in front of the Wizengamot!"

"I earned it!" She snarled, "Years of bitching beauty queens and what do Yucco and I get? Fired! They steal my life, they steal my beauty pageant-"

"Miss Evans." Frank Longbottom appeared over me, holding a pair of handcuffs, "Let her up."

I rolled off Madame Princeton and flipped my red hair over my shoulder, glancing around. Frank wasn't the only Auror, I saw others, and a few people not dressed in Auror clothes. Princeton got up and was handcuffed by Frank who was eyeing me, but not unkindly. Frank started walking off with Princeton and I shouted after her.

"And it's not a beauty pageant! It's a _scholarship_ program!"

"Yeah, yeah." Princeton glared back at me.

I narrowed my eyes, "_Yes_."

Princeton was walked off stage and that's when I realized James still hadn't appeared. James had been near the globe when the crown blew the jewel-encrusted globe up. Had he been hit by the debris? I panicked as I realized I'd probably just murdered the only person in the world who actually cared enough to come back for me.

"James?!" I shouted, "James!"

No answer. I started digging through the rubble of the globe. I was starting to get worried as I shifted large pieces of the ruined globe. Green and blue crystals littered the floor and my dress ripped at my legs as I pushed a particularly large piece away and found him grinning up at me.

"You just had to blow up the globe." He muttered, touching his forehead. Then he laughed, like he wouldn't expect anything different from me.

"Are you alright?" I begged, grabbing his shoulder and lifting him up to a sitting position, "Oh Merlin, James I'm sorry I panicked!"

"It's fine." He mumbled, pushing a strand of my hair from where it stuck to my cheek, "Just got the wind knocked out of me."

I smiled and pulled him up to a standing position. James moaned and touched his head again. He was bleeding. I took part of my gown patted his forehead with the blue fabric but it was no use because the blood was drying. I felt responsible for his injuries so I kept dabbing at his cuts, biting my lip and refusing to look him in the eyes.

He grabbed my hand and shook his head, "You're ruining your pretty dress."

I looked down at the gown, which was covered in debris, blood, and sparkles. I cursed, "This was the dress Charlene gave me!"

He laughed and started moving forward, out of the debris. I helped him slowly, holding onto his arm and lifting as much as I could. He teetered on his heels for a moment and then appeared to be all right as he surveyed the damage. Unable to hold myself back anymore, I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his ribcage.

I murmured into his chest, "Thank you for coming back."

He touched the top of my head, holding onto my curls, "I never left." He chuckled against my hold, "when you left the room I called in a favor at the Ministry to get a background check on Yucco, when nothing came up I started to call Dumbledore—and then Charlene came to my room."

I leaned back to look him in the face, it was all torn up and bleeding from the rubble hitting him but I saw his eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn't place.

"Charlene?" I questioned.

"She told me about Yucco's background with Princeton. That's when I got Peter to steal the files from the Ministry."

"Peter stole files from the Ministry?" I marveled, flabbergasted.

James nodded, "Frank Longbottom had to create one _Hell_ of a diversion to get him in—but he found out Princeton had a background in politics as a squib fighting for rights for squibs to get wands…Princeton _hates_ muggleborns because she thinks they have less a right to own a wand than squibs do."

"Miss Evans!" I winced and I saw James's grip on me loosened.

I turned and stared in horror at Alastor Moody who was walking towards us. I think if possible, he looked even angrier than last night.

"You and Potter, with me, now."

Aurors were busy digging Yucco out of the rubble. I saw Ava being taking care of over on the catwalk by Alice Longbottom. The crowd was being ushered out of the theater and I heard people asking what had happened. The judges were being talked too by a woman wearing Ministry clothes, holding a pen and paper.

Moody dragged us into the wings off the stage and then into to one of the private dressing rooms that had been used for storage. The door closed behind us and Moody switched on the lights with a wave of his hand. I guiltily tried to smooth out Charlene's dress and fix my hair in the mirror so I wouldn't have to look Moody directly in the eyes.

"Potter, leave. We don't need the Ministry catching you here."

I gave James a confused look, wasn't the Ministry here? That lady in her Ministry robes was certainly from the Ministry. The judges had to have seen James. I know they certainly saw me. James didn't look at me though and tried arguing but Moody put a hand up to silence him.

"Go, James. I'll take care of Evans."

"Why can't he stay?" I argued, not wanting James to leave, "What's going on? If you aren't with the Miistry—"

"Potter is not working for the Auror Force and cannot afford to be questioned by the Ministry under truth serum." Moody jutted his thumb back to the main theatre where everyone was running about shouting for answers.

I backed up against a set of boxes, silent. James didn't work for the Auror force? The Ministry? At all?

James looked at me apologetically, trying to speak, but Moody barked his orders even more urgently.

"Dumbledore requested you be off _immediately_ James."

"Dumbledore? What?" I turned and looked at James in surprise and suddenly James looked really, really, embarrassed, "_What's going on?_"

James looked broken but ultimately, he came over, kissed the top of my head, "Goodbye," he whispered, "You were…" he paused and touched my cheek. I felt my lower lip trembling as I said goodbye to him _again_. I started shaking my head, trying to not cry.

He finished his sentence with a light kiss on my cheek, "_Amazing_."

He snuck out of the dressing room and left me alone with Moody. A sob escaped and I turned, murderous, on Moody.

"What's going on?" I yelled, "You _said_ he was special task force!"

Moody pointed at a box, "Sit." He ordered.

Disgruntled, I sat on the box and stared back up at the man who ran the entire Auror force.

"You've managed to put yourself in a very awkward situation Evans," Moody growled, slamming his walking staff on the floor and emitting sparks, "You've managed to make every pureblood in the Ministry calling for your head because of your little comments the past few days…"

I tried to speak but Moody made a warning glare.

"Pro-muggleborn activists are _not_ welcome at the Ministry right now and I've been warned you are being targeted by some very, _dark_ wizards." Moody pointed his staff at my shocked face, "I can't even let you continue Auror training."

"Wha—" I was confused, "but Moody I've just sav—"

"You did what was right, Evans." Moody hissed, looking at himself in the mirror for a moment, "But with our current government you won't be safe as an auror and I'm not putting you or any of my other good agents towards the grave by inducting you."

I lowered my head and tried not to cry in front of this man. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. The tears slipped from my eyes, splashing onto Charlene's pretty dress and running down my arms. Moody was silent.

"Please." I whispered, "This was my chance to prove to you—I only ever wanted to be an Auror."

I was surprised when I felt a hand on my shoulder; I looked up with tear filled eyes and saw a look of pity on Moody's grizzled face. He smelled like cigars mixed with chocolate frogs and this close, he actually seemed gentle.

"Miss Evans you are better than the best. You deserve a job more worthy than being a grimy old Auror."

He left me sitting in the abandoned room alone. I wiped at my cheeks, smearing bits of make-up. Outside the dressing room things were quieting down and people were shouting, wondering where Miss Hogwarts went.

I turned my head to look in the mirror. The dress was falling off my left shoulder where I was bruised from something—probably people holding me back on stage. There was a bloodstain in the shape of a hand—James' hand—on my cheek. My face the covered in dust from the globe and my tears had run tracks in the dark make-up. My red hair had fallen from the twist Charlene had put it in for the finale. It fell about my shoulders and forced a red halo around my face.

Even with all the imperfections, for the first time in my life I felt beautiful because I'd saved someone's life. Nobody would be able to take that feeling from me. I stood up, wiping at the tears stains and coughing a bit.

I stepped out into the hallway and walked outside where I found reporters swarming Moody and one of his Aurors. The reporters spotted me and started shouting questions.

"Is she an undercover Auror?"

_No._

"How did she end up in the pageant?"

_It was supposed to be a simple training exercise._

"Is she really muggleborn?"

My eyes flashed at the reporters and I opened my mouth to speak but Frank Longbottom appeared and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Lily Evans was meant to be put through Auror training." Frank announced, "As all our Aurors must, this was her way of proving to me she was worth the risk."

I lowered my head as the reporters started shouting again. This time, Moody spoke up.

"She went above and beyond what I expect of my Aurors but Miss Evans has gracefully bowed away from joining the Aurors. Right, Miss Evans?" Moody sent me a raised eyebrow.

I brushed my hair up from my face and nodded, struggling not to cry, "Yeah," my voice cracked and I cleared my throat, "I decided I fancy a quiet life after this—" and I gestured behind me, causing the reporters to laugh.

I smiled too but I was just trying my hardest to not break down again.

In one simple act of bravery…I'd lost everything again.

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**next time:** "I know you changed the views of many witches and wizards—Charlene Diggory herself is under scrutiny for defending you multiple times at purist functions."

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leave me a review, let me know what you think! Thanks friends!


	10. Miss Congeniality

_ disclaimer in first chapter._

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**Chapter 10**

** I'm your dream girl and this is real love but **

**You know what they say about me: that girl is a problem.**

I was staring at the bed in the hotel room, trying to make myself move from the room. I had lost my shot at being an Auror and lost my shot at changing the world. The newspaper on my bed had a headline claiming the Miss Witch Wonder pageant had been subjected to radical attacks. A knock came on the door, probably an attendant of the hotel telling me to leave. The muggle tenants were returning tomorrow, and all the competitors and guests had to leave.

"It's open." I called, turning to face the door.

I watched as Charlene entered, a soft smile on her face that made my insides bubble up with relief at the sight of someone familiar. I hadn't seen her since the finale.

"Charlene!" I cried, and I ran into her open arms, "You disappeared when James—"

Charlene kissed my forehead, hugging me tightly, "James saw Yucco on the other side of the stage," she was stroking my hair, "I ended up getting stunned by a faulty spell from Yucco." She added when she saw my face flood with worry, "Aurors revived me just fine."

I hugged her tighter and felt my shoulders shaking. Charlene shushed me as I cried into her shoulder and I marveled at how the woman who I had hated the most in the pageant had turned into the only woman I could count on.

"I've lost everything." I cried, "I don't know what to do!"

Charlene brushed back my curls with her fingers, "No, no Lily. You haven't lost everything."

I shrugged, "I turned down the Auror position the Ministry offered me. That was everything to me. I wanted to change the world."

Charlene pursed her lips, "Lily Evans you have changed the world. Don't look at me like that. When I first met you I had no idea of how talented someone of your background could be—how loving you were." I sniffed and rubbed my eyes as Charlene smiled, "and I truly believed you haven't lost everything."

"I don't know what to do." I whispered, shoulders collapsing.

Charlene hugged me again quickly before pointing to the door, "Well at least let me take you to dinner."

"Charlene," I shook my head, "I'm tired. I'm just…tired."

"I'll buy you ice cream." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

Sighing deeply I stared at her and saw she looked worried about me. I didn't want to disappoint her and my shoulders dropped in defeat. I agreed with a partial nod of my head, closing my small travel bag and throwing it over my shoulder. Charlene led the way down to the front of the hotel but just before going outside she turned suddenly and started walking into the ballroom.

"Charlene what are you—oh _no_—I can't do this."

Charlene grabbed my hand before I could turn and walk away from the last place I wanted to be in. Every single girl in the pageant was facing me. Some were seated in chairs and clapping politely for me, others were standing up and cheering as they spotted me entering the room behind Charlene. I was bright red with embarrassment.

"I knew I could never get you here unless I offered you ice cream." Charlene laughed as I struggled against her hold on my wrist, "The girls wanted to give you a gift."

I was shocked as Charlene pulled me through the middle of the giant ballroom. People I'd enver even met before were patting me on the back, wishing me well, and telling em thank you. I also also felt incredibly blessed as girls reached out hug me and tell me how proud of _me_ they were and how brave I was. Some of the girls I'd never spoken to once.

"She saved the pageant and she saved our lives, here she is, Miss Lily Evans of Hogwarts!" Ava's voice came from somewhere in that massive room, and I gazed around looking for my friend—the Queen.

Someone distracted me from my search. She had her red frizzy hair in braids and a wide smile on her face that was a stark contrast to her expression the last time I had seen her. Michelle Brancheau was running down the isle the other girls had made.

"Lily!" She shouted joyfully.

Michelle jumped up, wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me into a forceful hug. I felt myself laugh as I enveloped Michelle into my arms.

"Michelle?" I hugged her back, "What—I thought—"

"They brought me back as an apology since Princeton was a wackjob!" Michelle laughed, puling away to look at me and then she smiled even wider, eyes full of life, "_Thank you_. You made us muggleborns proud."

And my heart melted. I hugged Michelle again, holding back my tears. All I ever wanted to do was make a difference and even though the pageant had been a disaster and I'd lost my dream job, I'd helped people. That had to count for something.

"Come on" Michelle grabbed my hand and pulled me up to a podium at the end of the room.

Ava was standing proud in a pretty blue dress with a crown rested atop her pretty head. Beside Ava were two older people—a couple. They were looking at Ava like she was the light of their world and I knew that they must be Ava's family. Ava's mother was like my mother, dressed to the nines but always looking nervous like she didn't quite fit into a room full of magical folk. Ava's father was dressed in rich gold robes, his arm slung around his muggle wife proudly. Ava pulled me up to the podium with her and I hugged her, waved to the girls, and then tried to escape. I couldn't handle explaining to them that I wasn't an Auror and I wasn't who they thought I was.

"Not so fast!" Ava chastised me, pulling me back to her side with a queen worthy smile, "Because even though you're a hero...to us, you will always be Lily Evans. The nicest, sweetest, coolest girl at the pageant..." Ava twisted to grab a sash from Charlene who had pulled it out of nowhere and winked at me as Ava threw it over my head, "...and this year's Miss Congeniality!"

The girls catcalled, clapped, screamed, and smiled at me. A few were chanting my name to the clap and Michelle was up front with her arm encircled in Aly Henwitch's—even though two days before those girls had been mortal enemies because of blood status. I realized that maybe, besides saving those girls' lives; I'd given them examples that even muggleborns were unique and demanded their respect.

Charlene nudged me and motioned to the girls, telling me to talk.

"I—I don't know what to say." I fingered the satin sash with a smile and then looked back around at all the girls…my new friends, "I never thought anything like this would happen to me. I've always felt so sectioned off from the rest of the world because of who my parents were and I lost my way there for a while...but this experience has opened my eyes and given me…" I looked at Charlene who was dabbing her eyes and Ava was squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. "...I just want to say that...I'm very..._very_ honored. And moved. And truly touched." I wiped away a tear and said with a half burst of laughter, "And...I really do want world peace."

The girls laughed and started piling towards the podium. I was grabbed and hugged at least three times by each girl. Each spectacular and special girl, who like me, just wanted to make a difference in the world.

I talked to each girl before she left. Ava's parents thanked me every second of every hour until Ava was forced to send them back to their room in order for me to get a word out to anyone else. I switched addresses with every girl who asked. I took a picture with every single person who requested.

Michelle stuck to my side until she and Taylor were forced to leave and head back to America. Aly Henwitch came up to me at the end of the night, hugging me tightly.

"If you ever need anything, let me know." Henwitch told me, "I've got some connections in the government. I could help get you a job." The witch leaned back and eyed me peculiarly, "I know it'll be hard because of your blood status."

I managed a smile, even though it wanted to send her an annoyed glance. Ava giggled when Aly Henwitch walked away and we sent each other a knowing look. I remained in the clutches of Ava and Charlene until late that night. We sat, all three of us, together at a pub.

"What will you do now?" Ava asks me for the fifth time that evening as she drank her wine.

"I don't know." I sighed but I saw Charlene send me a look over her drink.

It took over an hour to say goodbye to Ava. It was hard and I felt like I was back at Hogwarts saying goodbye to my friends after seven years and I'd only known Ava for the week.

"I'll miss you." Ava told me, straightening my hair around my shoulders as she cried, "Salam is wonderful in the Fall. Please promise to visit?"

"Of course." I smiled through my own tears, "Of course Ava."

I hugged her, breathing in her scent of oranges and vanilla. I clasped her hand once more, admiring her one last time. Ava wiped her eyes and hugged Charlene and then me once more before heading back to her parents at the hotel.

I looked over at Charlene Diggory, realizing I'd have to say goodbye to her as well. My heart fel cold.

"Charlene." I whispered, tears still dripping from my eyes.

"Oh Lily." Charlene enveloped me into a hug and I held onto the old woman, not wanting to let go, "I didn't want to say anything with Ava around—but you can't go back to wherever you came from before."

"What?"

Charlene brushed at my hair and whispered into my ear, "I've been hearing things. Lily you are not safe anymore."

I tore myself from her grasp shaking my head, "Charlene," I sighed, "I have no where else to go."

"Of course you do." Charlene touched my chin and smiled through her own tears, "You can stay with me."

Charlene offered me a place to stay until I could find a job. About a month after the pageant had ended and all the girls were back in their respective countries. I was still owling Ava and Michelle everyday. Another month passed and I moved into a small flat close to my childhood home. I visited Charlene every Sunday for dinner.

I lived each day at a time and as each day passed, things started getting worse.

I was hanging out in Diagon Alley alone one afternoon when the reality of what I had done at the pageant hit home. I had been minding my own business and looking at a set of books in the store when a wizard pushed me into the shelf.

"Mudblood _bitch_." he snapped at me when he did so.

I stared after him in horror, pushing my hair back as I leaned against the bookcase in wonder. Another woman beside me saw the whole thing and shook her head slightly.

Charlene warned me she was hearing things in her weekly tea with family friends. I was a hot topic of conversation because I had given the muggleborns a sense of hope for our rights to be protected. I had walked away unharmed by the dark powers rising in the countryside who is to say other muggleborns couldn't do the same?

I started fighting back when I'd get called the bigotry words on the streets. It was getting less safe for me to travel on my own. At one point three men had cornered me and I'd barely escaped with my life. My close misses with the men and purists alike were causing Charlene to fret over my safety.

"I'm worried about you." Charlene confessed over dinner one Sunday, "_Promise_ me to lay low for a while."

I promised her and I stopped hanging around Diagon Alley or any other Wizarding market. I got a job at a muggle shop as a records keeper. I lived every day trying to get past missing my friends. I never saw anyone from the Ministry or the pageant. Charlene was the only person I had left in my life who was constant from the world of magic. Life was boring but it was safe. I wasn't making a difference but I was keeping Charlene happy by staying out of the brewing war.

I sat in a café by my job; drinking hot chocolate and watching the snow fall to the streets lazily. I tapped my toes in time to the music playing over the speakers. The barkeeper was outside trying to spare the sidewalks from turning to ice. I snuggled deeper into my chair and pulled my sleeves over my fingers, peering through the windows at the lights of cars rushing by.

A letter from Ava was in my lap. Ava had resorted to sending me mail through the muggle post as she traveled the world celebrating her win. She had been explaining to me how she had run into Gi in Africa and they were starting an exchange student program together. Ava was living her dream and changing the world. I envied her but I'd caused enough trouble.

A newspaper was open on the other half of my lap, The Daily Prophet. Twenty-two new faces were on the list of missing peoples. One of those faces was a girl who I'd gone to school with and had known quite well. Her name was Anna Farley and had been a muggleborn sympathizer. She was only 19 and she was lost—or dead.

The world, my world, was becoming darker and I was more alone than ever. The thought of something happening to Charlene Diggory because the old woman cared for me, made my skin crawl. I loved the old woman like she was my grandmother and I know she would never admit it to my face—but Charlene was as scared as I was.

I sipped my hot chocolate and tried to figure out what to write Ava. My last letter had been brief and included a note for her mother who had sent me a lovely set of china for Christmas. I wanted to write her something meaningful but after hearing about all the wonderful things she was doing my life was sub-par in comparison. I worked in a shop and no longer chased the bad guys-they were chasing me. Ava was living a life exploring the globe and I couldn't go into a bookshop in Diagon Alley without a purist trying to slit my throat.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked me delightfully.

I turned my head slightly and almost dropped my cup to the floor in shock, "Dumbledore?"

It was my old headmaster wearing a set of wizard robes that reminded me of peacock feathers. I pushed back my hair in shock at seeing him in a muggle cafe and wearing his wizard robes. The shop owner was staring at Dumbledore like the man had come right from the loony bin. My heart was beating fast and I felt my cheeks heat up when I realized that _Dumbledore was the man James worked for. _

"Did James send you?" I asked quickly, placing down my cup in a hurry and standing up. The Daily Prophet and Ava's letter fell to the tile floor at my feet.

The old man simply smiled at me and his blue eyes twinkled through his half moon glasses, "It's wonderful to see you again Miss Evans."

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**Next time: **"You literally give every single person in this place a bloody hug except me and I'm the only one in this house who actually cares about you."

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**Next chapter is the last, I'm polishing it up but it should be posted by the end of the week. **


	11. The End

_The disclaimer is in the first chapter._

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**Chapter 11:**

**I like it when its difficult, I like it when its hard.**  
**Then you know its worth it and that you found your heart.**  
**You're one in a million, you're once in a lifetime**  
**You made me discover the stars above us.**

Albus Dumbledore was a well-known man in the wizarding world. He had defeated the greatest dark wizard of all time and was also known for speaking out against the prejudice over muggleborns like myself. He also happened to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the man who picked me for Head Girl. I had spent many afternoons in his office going over patrol schedules with James. I had private meetings with the old man to discuss my future in the Ministry. I had even represented him in the pageant—which now I'm sure he saw as an embarrassment to the school.

"I'm so sorry about the pageant." I blurted out, rubbing my arm uncomfortably, "I didn't—"

The last time I saw James I had been forced to part ways with him and Albus Dumbledore had been mentioned. Dumbledore had nothing but a kind smile for me as he cut me off with the raising of his hand.

"It took me a while to track you down." He said kindly, "You didn't talk much about your plans when you turned down the Auror position in front of the reporters."

My face turned cold, "I didn't turn it down sir."

"I know." He stated delicately and I eyed him in wonder, "Moody informed me that he had to dismiss you for the safety of the other Aurors. Do you understand exactly why Moody could not take you on?" Dumbledore asked me as though he was talking about the snow falling outside of the café.

"Yes." I was carful to not say anything against the Ministry politics—I was unsure of Dumbledore position.

"You did some good work in the pageant—discovering Madame Princeton's plot." Dumbledore took a card out of his front pocket and stood up, "Too good for a life as an Auror. When I asked you wheat you wanted to do out of Hogwarts you said you wanted to be an Auror."

"I can't be one any longer." I stared up at the old man indignantly, "I'm not safe."

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head, "Oh, no one is safe anymore my dear girl."

I stood up, "Does James work for you?"

Something sparked in Dumbeldore's eyes and he didn't answer. Instead the old man held out a card to me.

"I know you want to be an Auror but I might have an alternative option." He pushed the card into my hand and then winked, "Have a good night Miss Evans."

I watched the Headmaster leave the café and disappear into the thick falling snow. The café keeper stared after him too and muttered something about crazy old men.

"You okay sweetheart?" the woman at the counter asked me.

I nodded and waved off her worries before looking down at the note. It was written in Dumbledore's familiar fine handwriting.

_1 Owain Road_

_Tuesday at 9pm_

And then the writing disappeared.

I checked the back of the card and realized it was meant to have disappeared. I was meant to remember that particular time and place. It was Tuesday and I only had a few hours to 9 O'clock. I quickly repeated the words in my head three times before racing out of the café.

James had been working under Dumbledore's instruction; I know he probably still was. I raced to Charlene's house and pounded on the door with excitement. She opened the door and I hugged her, throwing her off balance. Behind her closed door and in her old sitting room I gushed about Dumbledore's visit. Charlene's eyes were glittering with sadness, instead of excitement.

"—And he gave me a time and place—I think I'll get to see James again and Sirius and _everyone_ from the pageant—" I stopped when I saw Charlene peering at her lap in sadness. "What?"

Chalrne leaned across her seat to touch my arm softly, "Oh, Lily." She whispered, "don't you see?"

I frowned, "What?"

Charlene pursed her lips and leaned towards me, "I'm being watched. People know I've been helping you. If Dumbledore is trying to help you it means you are in more trouble than I feared." She touched a hand to my cheek and my excitement faded away, "Dumbledore was known to hide people in the last war—he—"

I paused, "hide me?" I questioned, "But I want to do whatever James is doing."

"How do you even know James still works for Albus Dumbledore?" Charlene jumped up off her seat and started pacing, "You must remember that you are being targeted by You-Know-Who's rising army. You are a clear disruption in their cause."

I blew my bangs from my face and wrinkled my nose, "Well I guess I won't know what's going to happen until I go to this place."

Charlene was biting her fingernails—a habit she had only recently developed which made Lily smile, as it was clearly not something the woman would've likely done before. Her white pincurls bounced lightly about he face as she tucked her hand into Lily's loose hair and began braiding it. Lily tried shimmying away from Charlene but Charlene yanked her back into her seat.

"What're you doing?" Lily laughed, reaching up to grab Charlene's leathery hands.

"I want to do you hair and make up." Charlene answered with a broken tone, "Indulge me."

I stopped fighting as she wound her fingers through my hair. It had been ages since Charlene dressed me up. Charlene braided my hair into a beautiful masterpiece atop my head. It was when she crossed in front of me to put eye make up on I saw she was crying. I grabbed her hands in worry.

"Charlene." I narrowed my eyes, "Why are you crying?"

She pursed her lips, refusing to talk to me and she began doing my face. I watched myself transform into my mother yet again with Charlene's expert fingers at my beauty's mercy. Chalrene dressed me in a jumper she had hidden in her closet, and wrapped a cloak around my shoulders. The old woman couldn't look at me as I glanced at the clock, checking to make sure I had time.

At her front door with snow swirling around us a I got ready to travel to the address Dumbledore had given me Charlene's finishing touch was a kiss on my cheek and a tense hug.

She whispered in my ear, "You know you won't be coming back."

I shook my head against her shoulder, "Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't ever stop visiting you because of some war."

Charlene pulled back and tucked a single strand of loose hair back into my braid bun, "You can't come back here." Her shoulders were shaking and I tried to steady my old friend.

"Why not?" I implored, touching the old woman's cheeks in worry, "Why can't I see you?"

Charlene sobbed and entrapped me in a hug again. Pressing her lips against my ear she told me softly, "_Please_ don't come back."

Charlene stepped away from me, tears slipping down her worn cheeks quickly, "I love you." She mouthed softly, clasping her hands at her sides.

I knew then why she was asking me to come back. It was because she wanted the best for me. I couldn't come back in case someone was tracking me to her—it wasn't safe for Charlene and it wasn't safe for me. I bit back my own tears as I turned away from the old woman. The snow hit my face as I disappeared with a whirl of my wand. The last thing I saw was Charlene waving goodbye as she shut her front door. She was holding onto the wall for support and her shoulder had been shaking from her crying.

I found myself crying as I appeared on a long country road with snow swirling around me quickly. It hit my face, perfectly made up by Charlene's talented hands. Tears spilled from my eyes and I imagined her beautiful work was ruined. I held onto my chest as a few sobs escaped me but I had to continue on. I had to believe that Charlene and I would see each other again. I had to believe that my goodbyes didn't last forever.

I turned towards the house Dumbledore's note had directed me too.

It was a pretty house in the country with vines crawling up the brick sides. The green vines were covered from the snow and lights in the windows flickered. I saw shadows through the panes and I hoped one of those shadows had glasses and a patch of messy black hair. The house was surrounded by an iron gate that had intricate designs curling and twisting their way to create a pretty barrier from the road to the house. I walked up the path, pushing through an opening in the gate. My boots splattered through the snow accumulating on the ground and I tucked my cloak around me more. I sniffed and wiped my eyes with my sleeves. I didn't want whoever was in that house to see me crying.

I knocked on the large wooden door and it opened slightly, light flooding through to where I stood in the darkness. A shadow of a boy on the other side opened the door wider so the light washed over him. I immediately felt warm at the sight of his long hair and wicked smirk. I beamed at the sight of him and he just leaned against the doorframe cool-as-you-please.

Sirius Black quipped, "That pageant did a good number on you Evans. You miss it don't you?"

Not missing a beat, despite my euphoria, I rolled my eyes and answered, "Do you miss it?"

"Not in the slightest." He smirked, "That pageant did you a favor though—you're looking quite fit Evans."

"It's the make-up." I tried seeing around him, I saw people down the dark hallway, "it makes me look older."

"And sexier." Sirius grinned when he realized I was trying to see around him. The wizard purposely took up the entire doorway now.

"Stop flirting with the new recruit, Black." A second voice called from the end of the hall, "And close the damn door it's bloody cold outside you git!"

"Lily!" someone's voice called from farther away and I heard a crash and before I could even blink Sirius was getting torn from the doorway.

Sirius was knocked back away from the door and James stood there, breathing heavily like he'd run a marathon. He was gripping onto the doorway like it was holding him up; he looked as enthralled as I felt. James was still working with Dumbledore. James was _here_. A bubble of a laugh erupted from my lips and I jumped into the doorway.

"James!"

I throw my arms tightly around James who laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist. James lifted and twirled me into the air, before placing me on my feet in the middle of the large open hallway where two other people stood.

"Your early." One of the two extra boys said with a grin, "_Just_ like James said you would be."

"Remus!" I hooted, hugging the sandy haired boy happily, "You're here too!"

I spotted a shorter plump boy at Remus' right and squealed happily, "Peter!" I hugged the boy who turned red at my affection.

"Sure give everyone a bloody hug except for the only person in this house who actually voted for you in that pageant." Sirius pretended to look pained and I punched him in the arm playfully.

Sirius feigned being hurt but then grabbed me and forced me into a hug, ruffling my braids and making them get all messed up.

"Sirius!" I chastised, trying to fix my braids.

"Oh, now she cares what she looks like!" Remus laughed, also rumpling my braids, "Only after a near death experience in a beauty pageant!"

"What are you four doing here?" I asked, still not believing my four friends from Hogwarts in a house Dumbledore had sent me too surrounded me with smiles. "I mean, do you work for Dumbledore?"

"She catches on quick." Peter grinned, crossing his arms over his thick stomach.

"Turns out its not just beauty…" Sirius grinned, "She's got brains too!" He hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Shove off."

I pushed myself from his arms and started taking off my cloak. James grabbed it and hung it on a coatrack right by the door, which was now closed against the snowstorm. I put my hands on my hips as all four boys grinned amusingly at me.

"So what's going on? Who do you work for?" I grilled them, my eyes switching to each of their bemused faces.

"We don't work for anyone Miss Evans."

I spun on my heel and saw Alastor Moody walking into the hallway from a door to our left. Behind Moody was Albus Dumbledore still wearing the robes he had visited Lily in. I backed up against the wall and stared at Dumbledore and Moody in shock. They were working together? Dumbledore and the Ministry? Or the Aurors and Dumbledore?

"Is this a joke?" I asked, "Because I'm not sure what's going on."

"Welcome to the revolution Evans." Sirius chortled.

"You're so dramatic." Remus moaned and Sirius simply saluted Remus with a wink.

"I've been told I can be rather serious at times." All four boys moaned at Sirius' pun.

"Who let the four stooges in?" Moody demanded, loudly, calling towards the back of the house, "I thought I told you only Potter was allowed to be around when we brought in Evans?"

A voice called from the kitchen, one I thought I recognized, "I tried to keep 'em out Moody but James was insistent upon seeing Lily before anyone else so of course Sirius took that as a bloody challenge."

I looked at James who was blushing up to his roots as he grinned bashfully at me. Sirius looked pleased with himself for thwarting James' plans.

"What's going on?" I repeated.

"Come to the sitting room with me, Miss Evans." Dumbledore held out his arm to me and I took it, glancing back at James who gave me a reassuring smile.

We entered a room off the hallway that was decorated with mis-matched couches and a burning stone fireplace. Cups and plates were left on tables and there was a strong smell of butterbeer wafting around. Either way, the place felt welcoming as I took a seat by Dumbledore.

Moody sat on one of the tables, pushing plates out of the way with a wave of his wand. I crossed my legs, and went to tug on a strand of my hair nervously but Charlene had put it all into a braid at the top of my head. I let my hands fall back into my lap and I bit my lip. Moody sniffed when we heard a loud shout from the kitchen.

"Bloody circus clowns." Moody growled as someone yelled out an apology throughout the house.

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head before he began telling me what on earth was going on in this mysterious house.

"When I started hearing rumors of an overthrow at the Ministry by You-Know-Who," Dumbledore explained, "I started forming a pile of friends who could help me break through the system and get some real work done. Moody has been helping by directing some of his finest Aurors in my direction who actually want to fight."

I pointed my eyes, "Anti-ministry?"

"The only thing we are against, Miss Evans," Moody said, leaning against his staff, "Is the mistreatment of any human being whether magical or not."

Dumbledore nodded, "Dark times are coming Miss Evans, in fact, I'm sure you know about how people are viewing your comments at a purist run pageant."

I shook my head, "I mean, purists are always harassing me but the girls know—"

"You did a wonderful thing Miss Evans." Dumbledore cut me off calmly, "I know you changed the views of many purists—Charlene Diggory herself is under scrutiny for defending you multiple times at pureblood functions."

I touched my hair absent-mindedly, thinking about Charlene putting herself at risk. I never wanted that. I missed the old woman in my life already. I swallowed quickly at the thought of never seeing her again.

Moody continued the conversation, "but the fact is that I could not induct you into Auror training because you already had so many death threats against you. After all your pro-muggleborn speeches at the pageant you became a target and the fact of the matter is that you are _still_ in danger."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement, "I've heard from many spies that Voldemort wants you."

"Me?" I was aghast, shaking my head, "Why would he want me? I'm nothing but a threat?"

"You did something he admired." Dumbledore replied, "He needs someone like you because you can relate to anyone. You brought girls from all over the world together—witches who think they can make a difference. Voldemort doesn't admonish people if they can be useful to his cause."

"You-Know-Who wants me?" I was still is disbelief.

"He will try to use you if you are not protect—"

"_Voldemort's after her_?" A voice hissed from behind us all.

I turned in my chair and saw James had been listening in from the doorway to our room. He had his jaw clenched as he stared at me with worry.

"Potter what about wait in the hall didn't you understand?" Moody growled, pointing to the hallway.

James ignored him and repeated his question that Lily herself was finding hard to grasp. "Voldemort wants Lily?"

Moody glared at James, "My spies know he's after a muggleborn who caused a rift in the system at the Ministry—the only muggleborn in question was Miss Evans."

I shook my head, "Isn't that you-know—isn't _Voldemort_…wanting purity to reign over the wizarding world?"

"Lily's right, he wouldn't want a muggleborn," James said, then adding as an afterthought, "it doesn't even matter how talented and beautiful she is."

I smiled at my hands but the smile only lasted seconds as I realized what was going on. I'd heard about the dark wizard of course; he wanted to enslave any who were not pure or worthy…he was causing the purist elite to take over the Ministry. All of the wizards surrounding me were speaking his name and that was surprising, as most people didn't like to say it. Most witches and wizards lived in fear that Voldemort himself would hear them use his name and kill them. I fidgeted with my jumper, trying very hard to wrap my mind around what I was learning.

"The fact is Lily," Dumbledore leaned over and touched my squirming hands, "you are important to our cause. You are a great fighter, you care about people, _really_ care. I can pay you a small sum, not much, and offer you this house to stay in for safety."

Moody spoke up now, "I told you that the pageant had been your chance to impress me Miss Evans, and it did more than impress me." I looked up and at the old Auror, "You are a genuine soul and you're good with people. The Auror Academy isn't the place for you but here at the Order of the Phoenix you can help us save more people like the girls whose lives you saved in the pageant."

I nodded, understanding him. I had no place for a Ministry that refused to stand up to oppressors. I could offer so much more working for people who believed in the same thing I did. Looking around the room, I knew these people did believe in the same things as me.

"I'll do it." I said, looking between Dumbledore and Moody, "I want to fight with you."

Dumbledore smiled and stood up, clapping his hands together, "I believe there are some people who would like to talk to you then…I'm headed to the kitchen…I smell mutton cooking!" Dumbledore acted as though I was joining a knitting club and I couldn't help but smile at his easygoing ways. Moody clapped me on the back and followed Dumbledore out. I bit my lip and finally looked right at James who stood against the wall, mute. His eyes were dark and I couldn't read his face. I twisted my hands into my jumper, staring at him apprehensively.

"So this is what you've been doing...Charlene told me not to get my hopes up that I'd ever see you again. She sends her love, by the way." I whispered, trying to get a smile from him.

I wanted him to race to my side and tell me he had missed me as much as I had missed him. We'd been separated again and it hadn't been by our choices. James had stood beside me even when he wasn't supposed to and I knew I owed him so much. James cleared his throat.

"I'm so sorry," he said, "but you have to cut yourself off from everyone now, this Order business—it's quite lonely." James shoved his hands in his pockets, "But you'll have me." He raised his eyebrows suggestively at me and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I stood up from my chair and walked towards him, "I missed you."

A flicker of a smile passed his dark face, "I missed you too." He looked up at me through his hair, it was partially covering his eyes, "and it's been quiet without you around."

"I can enter another pageant if you like?" I offered impishly, leaning on my tiptoes towards him.

James smiled fully this time, looking at me gratefully, "You know," he said with a short laugh, "I'd pay a small sum to get you back into one of those bathing suits."

I giggled, "I'm sure I could work out a deal for you."

"You want to know my favorite part of the pageant?" He asked, leaning twords me as well.

"What?"

"Watching you go from the beautiful girl you were before—to one _Hell_ of a gorgeous woman."

And James let out a breathy laugh before taking two strides towards me and planting his lips on mine. He wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders and planted kiss-after-adoring-kiss on my lips, cheeks, and ears. It was hard for me to keep up; his kisses were so erratically placed. I had to laugh and push him away, staring up at him as he stared down at me with his hazel eyes so full of—_so full of love_.

"What I'm trying to say," he said, leaning his forehead against mine, "is I love you, _all of you_."

I blushed and stared at the floor, embarrassed by his claims. James kissed my cheek lovingly.

"I love when you try to act like you don't care about someone—because anyone with eyes can see you care about _anyone_ who is kind to you." He continued lavishing my face with his kisses, "I love you because you can kick my arse in dueling." I was smiling at the floor, tears flowing without stopping now.

James lifted my chin with his fingers so I was forced to look directly into his hazel eyes, "I love the way you look down when someone compliments you and I love the way your eyes shine when you laugh." He leaned his forehead against mine, grabbing both my hands, "the only thing I hate about you—is when you say goodbye."

I was smiling through my tears and I let go of his warm hands so that I could touch his face tenderly. I kissed him through my tears, laughing against his lips. He was trying to wipe the tears away. I embraced him and whispered in his ear, "_Merlin_ you're _such_ a sap."

James laughed and just like he'd done in the hallway when he'd seen me again—James picked me up by the waist and started spinning me around in circles before placing me on the floor gently and kissing me deeply.

When I wrote Ava a final letter before ceasing all letters so I couldn't be tracked, I ended it with similar words she had expressed on our first day in the pageant.

_Ava,_

_As you go about your queenly duties I beg you to look up Charlene Diggory, as she is in need of a new pageant princess to coach seeing that I've left the world of beauty queens behind. I'm sure Aly Henwitch will be thrilled to hear that I've given up my spot as second runner up. _

_Although the world is getting darker, I am feeling happier than ever. When we first met you told me the best way to make an impact was to get to know people. As a true queen normally is, you were right. I've met plenty of…special…individuals since I last wrote and they are helping me make an influence in things I sincerely believe in. These people allow me to spread my message of equality, passion, and most of all, love because love is the most powerful magic of all. _

_This will be my last letter for a while but I promise that I'll think of you often, especially when I'm making hot chocolate._

_All my love,_

_Lily _

* * *

**I ended up finishing editing this earlier than planned-I forgot I had moved some of this chapter into other chapters. SO HERE YOU GO. THIS IS THE END. **

_I know, super sad, but have a sneak peek at a future project I'm working on. it's currently title-less and a WIP but I'm excited about it's possibility as a stand-alone fic:_

"Aim every bludger you can at their bloody captain." James told his beater Anthony Hopkins.

Anthony nodded in agreement and tightened his grip on his beater stick.

"Hello Hogwarts spectators," a light voice came over the roar of the crowd, "We have a great game planned for you today, Gryffindor versus Slytherin! and while I am a very proud Gryffindor I promise not to be too biased when commenting on the status of the game today."

James looked up in surprise at the scoreboard stand where Professor McGonagall's spot as Quidditch Commentator had been filled by a batch of auburn hair from a young girl his age.

"Is that Lily Evans?" Anthony Hopkins grinned, "Wicked."

James thought it could be Lily Evans but it was hard to tell from his position on the field. When he rose into the air at the blow of a whistle, he turned his head slightly and saw it _was_ the pretty witch. She was wearing a bright red sweater and her Gryffindor scarf. All the red on her clothes matched her bright red cheeks, likely red from the anticipation of the game starting. James grinned to himself because he was happy that she had finally been granted a way to be involved in quidditch without actually flying.

Lily's cheery voice called out, "The Captains will now shake hands. Captaining Slytherin is Gregory Mills, now I've only met him twice but I'm sure his mother has _some_ nice things to say about him."

The crowd laughed and James snorted as he urged his broom forward so he met Gregory Mills in the middle of the pitch. Evans was making jokes about the opposite teams quid ditch captain. James admired her bold attitude because Gregory wasn't the type of bloke who forgave easily. James had a feeling the redhead wasn't quite scared of Mills.

"Captaining the Gryffindor team is James Potter, whose best mate Sirius Black swears is currently in a very committed relationship to his broomstick. Sorry to all the heartbroken ladies out there."

James rolled his eyes and sent a pointed glare at the Commentator's spot as the crowd roared with laughter at Evans' commentary. James wondered who had asked the vivacious witch to come out and work the microphone at the Quidditch games. He noticed Lily was sitting directly next to Professor McGonagall who hadn't grabbed the microphone yet, so clearly the Professor was enjoying Lily's sprightly jokes.

"We want a nice fair game!" Lily announced, "So that means no hexing someone who takes the quaffle from you. I'm afraid this is quidditch and _not_ Dueling Club."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that snippet from the new piece I'm working on. It's going to be primarily focused on their school days and-_obviously_-quidditch.

**I especially hope you've enjoyed Miss Congeniality because I had fun writing it. Please leave me a review or a note on tumblr. Let me know what you thought of Miss C and what you think of my newest adventure with quidditch.**

**I love you guys.**

**Sasha**


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